[JURIST] Ten ethnic Albanians were arrested in Serbia Friday for alleged crimes committed during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war [BBC backgrounder], according to Serb officials. The former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) [GlobalSecurity backgrounder] members, being held for questioning in Belgrade and Vranje, will likely be charged for their alleged roles in the kidnapping of 159 Serbs and the deaths of at least 51 [B92 reports]. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said Serbia will seek UN assistance in apprehending three suspects still at large.

The KLA was the ethnic Albanian guerrilla force that opposed Slobodan Milosevic [JURIST news archive] during the war, which led to intervention by NATO forces and the bombing of Belgrade. Former Kosovo prime minister and KLA commander Ramush Haradinaj [ICTY materials, PDF; JURIST news archive] was acquitted of war crimes charges [JURIST report] by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] in April, although Kosovo Albanians have since been convicted of interfering with witnesses [JURIST report] during that trial and prosecutors are appealing.