12:45
12:45
More Videos
Turkish Commandos Arrive in Kosovo to Help Bolster NATO Forces
Kosovo is no stranger to ethnic tensions, especially in the country's north where Albanians and Serbs live together in an uneasy peace. But last week's clashes were different. Violence between the two groups spread to NATO peacekeepers, with at least 25 troops injured. To help bolster NATO's presence, Turkish troops arrived in Kosovo, as part of a larger deployment by the alliance to quell simmering tensions.
A Turkish commando battalion from the 65th mechanized infantry brigade arrived on Monday at Camp Sultan Murat in Prizren. A NATO statement said the additional troops would remain in Kosovo for as long as necessary. Turkiye has been part of NATO's KFOR peacekeeping mission since the late 1990s, following a bloody war between Serbia and its then province of Kosovo. The latest round of violence started after local Serbs fought NATO troops and Kosovo police, as they tried to block ethnic Albanian mayors taking office, who had won local elections that Serbs mostly boycotted.
Guests:
Jakub Bielamowicz
Analyst at the Institute of New Europe
Darko Trifunovic
Director of INIS
More Videos