Special Kosovo court orders arrest of 3 war veterans

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Judges of a European Union-backed court have ordered the arrest of Kosovo’s three other war veterans on alleged offenses against the administration of justice. A statement on Thursday from the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, based in The Hague, Netherlands confirmed ongoing operations in Kosovo. Kosovar media reported three arrests. The court in The Hague and a linked prosecutor’s office were created after a 2011 report by the Council of Europe, a human rights body. It has convicted two war veterans on war crimes-related offenses and two others for obstructing justice. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, a move Belgrade and its key allies Russia and China refuse to recognize.