NATO has deployed hundreds of additional troops to Kosovo to reinforce its peacekeeping mission, after a violent clash between Kosovo Police and armed Serbs in a monastery in northern Kosovo last week.
The reinforcements include 200 British soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, who arrived in Pristina on Friday, and 100 Romanian troops, who were announced on Tuesday. They join a 400-strong UK contingent already in Kosovo as part of an annual exercise.
The deployments are a prudent step to ensure KFOR has the forces it needs to fulfil its UN mandate to maintain a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all people in Kosovo. KFOR currently consists of well over 4,500 troops contributed by 27 NATO Allies and partners.
The move comes amid increased tensions in the region, as Serbia has been accused of building up its military presence along the border with Kosovo, which declared its independence from Serbia in 2008.
Serbia does not recognise Kosovo’s statehood and considers it part of its territory. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would take “all necessary actions” to ensure security in the area.