The United States is unable to confirm that Serbia has withdrawn its military forces and equipment from the Kosovo border, according to a statement made by State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Monday.

Miller expressed ongoing concern from Washington regarding the escalating tensions and sporadic violence in north Kosovo.

Earlier on Monday, Milan Mojsilović, the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army, announced that Serbia had removed some of its troops stationed near the Kosovo border. This decision followed an increase in troop presence after an armed Serb group attacked the Kosovo Police in north Kosovo, resulting in the death of police officer Afrim Bunjaku.

Miller stated during a press conference that while reports indicated Serbia’s troop withdrawal, independent verification had not yet been possible.

He mentioned that the U.S. would work to confirm this development and noted that if it were true, it would be a positive step, aligning with their previous calls for such action.

He clarified that there had not been a full-scale increase in combat readiness by the Serbian Armed Forces, but rather an elevated presence and involvement of specific units.

In a press conference in Belgrade, Mojsilović explained that following the security crisis on September 24, the Serbian Army had bolstered its presence in the primary security zone and around the administrative boundary. On September 25, there were 8,350 army personnel in the area, but Mojsilović confirmed that there are now over twice as few soldiers in the region.

On September 29, the United States urged Serbia to withdraw its forces from the Kosovo border, deeming it a “highly destabilizing development”.

The European Union echoed this call to Serbia the following day through their top diplomat, Josep Borrell.