A few minutes ago, a group of around 200 Serbs unloaded a truckload of concrete on the River Iber/Ibar bridge. Koha Ditore’s reporter at the site said the move has now blocked the free movement of vehicles. The group is reported to be currently planting fir trees on top of these concrete containers, and this is all reportedly being done at the initiative of Mitrovica North Mayor Goran Rakic.

Belgrade - Multiple sources in the northern part of Mitrovica confirmed to our newspapers that several containers were removed in the city that were placed in front of the barricade on the Serbian side of the main Ibar/Iber River Bridge.

It was not possible to get an official response from the Municipal authorities in North Mitrovica, whether and the barricade will be removed, which protects the Serbian part of the city since 2011. Since the introduction of UN protectorate in Kosovo in June 1999, Mitrovica city is divided into northern Serbian part and southern Albanian.

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci issued a statement to the press hailing the removal of the barricade on River Iber/Ibar voluntarily by citizens of the Serb community living in the Mitrovica North municipality.

Mitrovica mayor Agim Bahtiri, in an interview for Indeksonline, said he had promised that barricades in Mitrovica would be removed and that this was done for the good of all communities and for their freedom of movement.

The barricade on the main bridge in Mitrovica, which was built three years ago by Serb parallel structures, was removed this morning at 5:00. The so-called Bridge Watchers removed the barricade, and no incidents were reported. During the removal, increased Kosovo Police forces and Italian Carabinieri were seen near the bridge. Mitrovica mayor Agim Bahtiri, who visited the bridge on Tuesday evening, said the removal of the barricade was expected and that he personally deserves the credit. “I have cooperated closely with Western diplomats and with people in the north.

Sources told Kosovapress that today at 10:00 hrs the foundations will be laid for three four-story buildings with 12 apartments each, two of them in Kroi i Vitakut and the other one in the village of Suhodoll, in northern Mitrovica.

Sources said the construction is funded by the Government of Serbia and the inauguration ceremony will not be led by northern Mitrovica mayor Goran Rakic but by Aleksandar Spiric, who was appointed by Belgrade as chairman of the provisional administration of northern Mitrovica.