Pristina, Yugoslavia - A group of Kosovo Albanians want a dog adopted as a mascot by United Nations police to be put down because it is Serbian, UN sources in Kosovo said Sunday.
Members of the UN police force in Yugoslavia adopted the stray bitch, who is expecting a litter, at the beginning of September. They named the animal UNMIK, the acronym for the UN Mission in Kosovo.
A group of ethnic Albanians came two-and-a-half weeks ago to tell the UN police they had to kill the animal because the dog was Serbian, US officer Sam Holton, who looks after UNMIK, said.
Soldiers told the Albanians they would not comply with the request, but Holton said they were worried for the animal's safety.
The father of UNMIK's puppies is a black dog belonging to British soldiers called KFOR, named after the international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, Holton said.
Revenge attacks on Serbs have been commonplace in Kosovo, since the majority ethnic Albanian population returned after fleeing Belgrade's repression. - Sapa-AFP