The Serbian state TV (RTS) reported early on Tuesday that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ordered all Army of Serbia (VS) units to go to full combat readiness because the Kosovo police special unit ROSU had deployed in the north.

The report said that Serbian police SWAT units were also put on full alert.  

The police operation was confirmed later by the Kosovo police which said that several police officers and civilians had been arrested despite armed resistance. A statement added that they were arrested on suspicion of being part of organized crime groups involved in smuggling and other crimes.

The media reported that five people were arrested, including Albanian police officers.

“The operation comes after months of investigation by the police and Special Prosecution, resulting in suspicion of the involvement of some police officers and civilians in organized crime groups engaged in smuggling and bribery,” the statement said and added that rifles were seized in Mitrovica North along with “relevant evidence”.

Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said the operation was directed against individuals involved in smuggling and other crimes and called the Serbs in the north to keep calm. He said that the police had arrested customs officials, police officers and some civilians.

Today's police operation is for the good of all citizens without distinction and I invite the Serb community in the north to maintain peace and support the fight against organized crime. There will be no room for organized crime and anyone involved in that will end up behind bars, Kosovo President Hashim Thaci wrote on his Facebook profile.

The RTS was told by government Office for Kosovo chief Marko Djuric that fully armed ROSU units had deployed in northern Kosovo around 06:00 am claiming that they were there to intimidate and cause panic along with the arrests announced earlier by President Vucic.  

The Serbian-language TV Most reported that ROSU troopers were “arresting Serbs” in Mitrovica North. The report said that a Serb Kosovo police officer was arrested in Mitrovica and another in Zubin Potok.

Local media reported that „a large-scale operation against smugglers is underway in Mitrovica North“ but the regional police in northern Kosovo have not released any official information about the reported operation, the KoSSev portal reported.  

The portal added that air-raid sirens have been set off again in Mitrovica with the police deploying added forces on the streets.  

 KFOR confirmed that the police operation was underway across Kosovo under orders from prosecutors in Pristina, adding that the operation was part of the fight against crime. Spokesman Vincezo Grasso said that KFOR is monitoring the situation and is in contact with the authorities in Pristina and has open communication with Serbia.