Nato troops and UN police have secured Kosovo's northern borders, facing down a challenge by ethnic Serbs who ransacked two border crossings in protest at Kosovo's independence.
A Kosovo Serb protester near the Serbia-Kosovo border crossing in Jarinje that was burned down yesterday
Some 40 Nato peacekeepers have now put up coils of razor wire across the Jarinje border post, which was burned down yesterday. A Polish UN special police unit was standing by in riot gear.
It was one of two border posts between Kosovo and Serbia attacked by over 1,000 Kosovo Serbs, who came to the border from the Serb-dominated northwest corner of Kosovo.
Danish troops of the Nato-led Kfor peacekeeping force later closed down the roads leading to the checkpoints, cutting off the only link between northern Kosovo and Serbia.
Nato said it was securing the other crossing, known as Gate 3-1, north of Zubin Potok town.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on Sunday, a move already recognised by the United States and major European Union powers but strongly opposed by Serbia and Russia.
The unrest fuelled unease about 30 kilometres further south in Mitrovica, a Kosovo-Serb stronghold, where three hand grenades exploded overnight and about 1,000 Serbs again marched to the bridge dividing them from the Albanian part of town to denounce Sunday's independence declaration. No one was hurt in any of the incidents.
The attacks also highlighted the challenge facing an EU law-enforcement mission preparing to deploy in the Albanian-majority territory which has been under UN administration for nearly nine years.
Kosovo's Albanian Prime Minister Hashim Thaci played down the attacks, saying everything was "under the control of the Nato authorities, Kosovo police and the United Nations".
"Kosovo is integral, inseparable and Kosovo territory is guaranteed and recognized internationally," said Mr Thaci.
But Serbia's minister for Kosovo, Slobodan Samardzic, said they were "perhaps not pretty, but legitimate". He added Serbia planned to take control of customs in northern Kosovo, though "we hadn't agreed on taking over the customs points in this manner".
The border post attacks highlight the challenge facing a EU as its moves in to take over from the United Nations the task of supervising Kosovo.
The European Union will deploy a rule-of-law mission of some 2,000 starting next month to take over from the United Nations. The 17,000-strong Nato-led peace force, which includes 300 Irish troops, will stay on.