UK to Boost Number of Troops in Kosovo Ahead of NATO-Led Drills

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MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The United Kingdom will increase several times the number of its troops deployed within the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) in self-proclaimed Kosovo to hold exercises in 2023, UK Deputy Defense Minister James Heappey said on Tuesday.

There are currently 41 UK personnel based in the region.

“Our contribution to KFOR this year will rise to 330 personnel from August to October once again as part of KFOR’s Operational Rehearsal,” Heappey said, adding that the UK will continue to contribute to KFOR until at least 2026.

UK servicemen joined the peacekeeping contingent of KFOR in 1999 following the prolonged conflict in the region. The mission includes military from about 30 countries.

NATO soldiers prepare to install razor wire to secure the area near Zvecan, northern Kosovo on May 30, 2023, a day following clashes with Serb protesters demanding the removal of recently elected Albanian mayors. - Sputnik International, 1920, 06.06.2023

NATO Reinforcements Start Arriving in Self-Proclaimed Kosovo

Earlier in the month, 500 Turkish servicemen started arriving in Kosovo following the escalation of the already tensed relations between Kosovo Serbs and Kosovo Albanians at the end of May, which resulted in clashes that left dozens of people injured.





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