Germany will quadruple the number of its forces as part of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, announced Jörn Rohde, the German ambassador in this country, as quoted on Saturday by Kosovo’s RTK television.
The diplomat revealed that the number of German soldiers in Kosovo will increase from 70 to 300 next week. Rohde explained Berlin’s decision, stating that Germany aims to “prevent a recurrence of a situation similar to the one that occurred a year ago in the village of Banjska in northern Kosovo.”
An armed group of Serbs attacked police officers in Kosovo in late September 2023. The shooting resulted in the death of one officer and three attackers. The authorities in Pristina labeled the attack as terrorism and accused Belgrade of orchestrating it.
“KFOR (NATO peacekeeping forces) responded appropriately to the attack by increasing its forces,” assessed the German ambassador. The Alliance mission currently stationed approximately 5,000 soldiers from 27 countries in Kosovo.
Following the NATO armed campaign in 1999, Serbia lost control over Kosovo and has refused to recognize the independence that its former province declared in 2008. Kosovo still has a Serbian minority, some of whom live in the northern territories near the Serbian border.
In Pristina, the authorities accuse Belgrade of plotting an attack on the country and positioning units of its army near the Kosovo border. The potential for Kosovo to join the Council of Europe, which Serbia vehemently opposes, has heightened tensions in recent weeks.
An armed group of Serbs attacked police officers in Kosovo in late September 2023. The shooting resulted in the death of one officer and three attackers. The authorities in Pristina labeled the attack as terrorism and accused Belgrade of orchestrating it.
“KFOR (NATO peacekeeping forces) responded appropriately to the attack by increasing its forces,” assessed the German ambassador. The Alliance mission currently stationed approximately 5,000 soldiers from 27 countries in Kosovo.
Following the NATO armed campaign in 1999, Serbia lost control over Kosovo and has refused to recognize the independence that its former province declared in 2008. Kosovo still has a Serbian minority, some of whom live in the northern territories near the Serbian border.
In Pristina, the authorities accuse Belgrade of plotting an attack on the country and positioning units of its army near the Kosovo border. The potential for Kosovo to join the Council of Europe, which Serbia vehemently opposes, has heightened tensions in recent weeks.
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