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The United States is urging Serbia to withdraw a significant military build-up on the country's border with Kosovo. Tensions have been escalating between the minority ethnic Serb and majority Albanian communities in Kosovo in recent months. In response to the situation, the UK has announced that it will be sending troops to join NATO peacekeepers in the region. NATO has stated that it is prepared to increase its forces following a deadly stand-off at a monastery in northern Kosovo. The White House National Security Council expressed concern over the "large military deployment" of tanks and artillery, labeling it as a destabilizing development. The US is calling on Serbia to withdraw its forces from the border, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reached out to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to urge immediate de-escalation and a return to dialogue. Despite not explicitly denying the recent troop build-up, Vucic rejected claims that his country's forces were on high alert, stating that they do not have as many troops as they did a few months ago. tensions had reached a breaking point on Sunday when a Kosovan policeman and three ethnic Serbian gunmen died during a siege of a Serbian Orthodox monastery. The Kosovo government accused the Serbian government of supporting the incident, which led to the resignation of the vice president of Serb List, the main Kosovo-Serb political party. The situation highlights one of the most serious escalations in Kosovo in recent years, following months of mounting tension between the two sides. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but it is not recognized by Serbia, China, or Russia. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg authorized additional forces to address the current situation, marking the second time in three months that NATO has strengthened its presence in the country. The UK Ministry of Defence has deployed a battalion of troops to join the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) to address the situation.