Turkey to send battalion to Kosovo at NATO's request
Turkey's Defense Ministry confirmed on Saturday the country will send a special forces battalion to Kosovo by Monday at NATO's request following the clashes between the Serbs, Kosovo Albanians, and the KFOR peacekeepers in recent days.
"Following the events in Kosovo, at request from NATO Allied Joint Force Command Naples, a commando battalion of the 65th Mechanized Infantry Brigade previously allocated for NATO's Kosovo Force [KFOR] was deployed. The deployed forces are expected to be transferred to the Sultan Murat Barracks on June 4-5," the ministry's statement noted.
NATO decided earlier this week to increase the number of soldiers in Kosovo by 700 following the clashes that left many people injured on all sides. Meanwhile, European leaders called for new local elections in Serbian municipalities after the previous elections were widely boycotted.