Turkish forces arrive in Kosovo to bolster NATO-led peacekeepers

KFOR soldiers, front, and Kosovo police officers guard a municipal building after clashes in Zvecan recently. Pic/AP

The Turkish commando battalion requested by NATO has arrived in Kosovo to assist in quelling recent violent unrest in the Balkan country.

The Turkish Defence Ministry shared a video on Sunday showing troops wearing the insignia of the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force departing Turkiye and arriving in Kosovo.

Violent clashes with ethnic Serbs last Monday left 30 international soldiers - 11 Italians and 19 Hungarians - wounded, including fractures and burns from improvised explosive incendiary devices.

The clashes grew out of a confrontation that unfolded earlier after ethnic Albanian officials elected in votes overwhelmingly boycotted by Serbs entered municipal buildings to take office and were blocked by Serbs.

Around 500 Turkish troops would be deployed, a defence ministry official said last week. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with ministry regulations.

"The first convoy of the commando battalion attached to the 65th Mechanised Infantry Brigade Command (Luleburgaz) has completed its transit to Kosovo," the tweet on the official account read.

NATO announced last Tuesday that it would be sending 700 troops to bolster the force in the area.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the government might consider holding fresh elections in four northern cities with majority Serb populations but not before gangs responsible for violence leave. KFOR currently consists of almost 3,800 troops, including some 350 from Turkiye. The request for additional troops came from NATO's Joint Force Command Naples. The battalion will be joining KFOR as a reserve unit.

500
No. of Turkish troops to be deployed

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