Turkey to deploy commando battalion in Kosovo

Turkey will send its additional military unit to Kosovo at NATO's request. The Ministry of Defense of Turkey made the corresponding statement on Saturday. The decision was made in response to the request of the Joint Force Command of NATO in Naples.

The Ministry of Defense emphasized that Ankara continued to contribute to ensuring peace and stability, both at the level of bilateral relations and within the framework of UN, NATO, EU and OSCE missions. The Turkish side also called for restraint and constructive dialogue to resolve the crisis in the north of Kosovo, which could harm regional security and stability.

Flag of Turkey / Photo from open sources

"Following the events in Kosovo, a commando battalion that is part of our 65th Motorized Rifle Brigade (Kirklareli), which was previously assigned to the NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR), was designated as a reserve unit at the request of NATO," -- the statement says. According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, special forces will arrive at the Sultan Murat military base in Kosovo between June 4 and 5.

At the end of May, in the north of the partially recognized Kosovo, clashes began between the local police and the Serbian population of the region. As a result of the clashes, more than 30 servicemen of the NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR), responsible for ensuring stability in the region, were also wounded. The intervention of peacekeepers was necessary to restrain the protesters.

Clashes in northern Kosovo, May 2023.

Photo credits: EPA

The participants of the rally protested against the coming to power of mayors who were ethnic Albanians in the areas where Serbian population prevailed. After these events, NATO decided to deploy an additional 700 military personnel. They will join 3,800 of those already serving in Kosovo.

Therefore, NATO is creating an additional reserve battalion that can be deployed within seven days if necessary.