A KFOR commander has condemned the capture recently of six Serbs by ethnic Albanian guerrillas describing it as kidnapping.
A spokesman for the rebels said the group was attempting to win the release of a rebel commander by KFOR peacekeepers.
Last Sunday the guerrillas captured the Serbs near the Kosovo-Serbia border and held them until yesterday before handing them over to the Red Cross.
Rebel spokesman Mr Shaqir Shaqiri said the guerrillas sought the release of commander Mr Rexhep Aliu, who, according to local sources, was being held in a US base after being caught in possession of weapons.
KFOR commander Lieutenant Mr General Carlo Cabigiosu condemned the incident which he called a kidnapping. He said such incidents threatened to undermine the process of peaceful resolution of the situation in southern Serbia.
REUTERS