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Kosovo, NATO Conduct Training Exercise Near Pristina Featuring Mock Riot

Kosovo Security Forces and NATO troops conduct a joint crowd and riot control drill in Pristina.
Kosovo Security Forces and NATO troops conduct a joint crowd and riot control drill in Pristina.

Molotov cocktails were hurled at armored vehicles and NATO troops wore riot gear as part of an training exercise near Kosovo's capital, Pristina.

NATO soldiers in yellow shirts played the part of protesters in the April 27 mock riot.

The exercise wrapped up two days of training for a new rotation of troops who have been deployed to the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.

The Kosovo Force (KFOR) was established after the 1998-99 Kosovo War to bring stability to the region.

NATO officials said they are not expecting any major unrest during the next nine-month rotation.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and tensions remain between the country's ethnic Albanian majority and members of the ethnic Serbian minority.

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