After violent protests in Kosovo: NATO increases troops in the country

NATO soldiers of the KFOR troops erect barricades made of barbed wire in Kosovo. © STRINGER/AFP

After the violent protests in the north of Kosovo, NATO has sent more soldiers to the country. A week ago, there were attacks on KFOR soldiers.

Pristina - Following attacks on the NATO-led peacekeeping mission (KFOR) by Serbian demonstrators, the first soldiers arrived in Kosovo on Monday to reinforce the international force. The reinforcement consists largely of around 500 Turkish soldiers who will be "deployed in Kosovo for as long as necessary," according to NATO. Another multinational battalion is ready for deployment if necessary.

A week ago, protests in the city of Zvecan in northern Kosovo led to attacks on KFOR soldiers who had confronted Serbian demonstrators who wanted to storm the city administration. 30 of the soldiers were injured. The US and the EU strongly condemned the violence, and NATO announced a reinforcement of KFOR in response. 52 protesters were also injured.

After violent protests in Kosovo: NATO increases troops in the country

A spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office called the situation in the border area with Serbia "still very volatile" on Monday. Both sides are called upon to "immediately continue talks in order to de-escalate the situation and also to continue working on the implementation of the normalisation agreement in a very concrete way".

The agreement is an EU initiative to normalise relations between Serbia and Kosovo. However, this has not yet been signed by either Belgrade or Pristina.

Video: Turkey sends troops to Kosovo, fronts remain hardened

Kosovo, a country of 1.8 million inhabitants with a majority ethnic Albanian population, declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, but is still regarded by Belgrade as a Serbian province. Around 120,000 Serbs live in Kosovo, mainly in the north. Other countries, including Serbia's allies China and Russia, also do not recognize Kosovo's independence.

The NATO-led KFOR mission has been providing security in Kosovo since the end of the Kosovo war in 1999. It comprises around 3800 emergency personnel from 27 countries. Germany currently has about 70 soldiers, and the Bundestag mandate provides for up to 400 soldiers. After last week's incidents, NATO announced the deployment of an additional 700 soldiers. (AFP/fmü)