Additional UK Forces Deploy To Kosovo for NATO Peacekeeping
Earlier this week a request from the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) was been approved by NATO following an attack on Kosovan Police in Northern Kosovo on September 24 by Serbian paramilitary members which left one police officer dead. The request for additional forces in the region came from General Chris Cavoli, who is currently SACEUR and commander of US European Command.
In response the UK has committed an additional 200 soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment to bolster the 400-strong British military contingent already in the region that is part of an already ongoing annual exercise. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the UK Chief of the Defence Staff, commented on the deployment in a MOD press release from October 3 saying:
”The deployment of the 1st Battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment demonstrates the responsiveness of the UK’s Armed Forces. We continue to be a fundamental part of the NATO alliance, sharing our military expertise and strength.”
The NATO peacekeeping operation in Kosovo, the Kosovo Force (KFOR) has been active since the late 1990s, when a combined force from 28 countries entered the country after UN Security Council Resolution 1244 was passed on June 10, 1999. This saw KFOR move in to aid the nation after the Yugoslavian Armed Forces had been engaging the Kosovan Army and also forced the civilian population out of their homes and cities in ethnically charged attacks. Admiral Radakin further added that: “the extension of our support to the Kosovo Force (KFOR) underlines our unwavering commitment to NATO and the security of the Western Balkans region.”
Last week NATO issued statements calling for de-escalation, urging Belgrade and Pristina to engage in dialogue. Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia, Commander of the KFOR mission has been active visiting NATO Headquarters in Bosnia for high-level meetings and has spoken at the 11th Defence Cooperation Initiative (DECI) briefing attendees on the situation in Kosovo.
KFOR is still made up of 28 countries and had a total strength of over 4000 troops in June 2023. The additional troops will bring the total UK manpower commitment up to 600. With the British contingent being held at a 14-day readiness in the event of them being needed to respond to situations as they develop. In May 2023, Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey announced the UK’s continued involvement in KFOR until at least 2026.