Romanian troops boost NATO's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo

[October 14, 2023]  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO said on Saturday that more than 130 troops from Romania had reinforced its Kosovo Force (KFOR) peacekeeping mission following the worst violence in northern Kosovo for years.  

A NATO flag waves at the headquarters of the NATO Mission in Kosovo, June 20, 2023. REUTERS/Fatos Bytyci/File Photo

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization authorized additional forces for Kosovo at the end of September after a battle between police and armed Serbs holed up in a monastery turned a quiet village in northern Kosovo into a war zone on Sept. 24.

It did not specify then how many troops would be added or from which country.

The military alliance said in a statement that 200 British soldiers had been deployed earlier this month and that the troops from Romania arrived on Friday.

KFOR, which has been in operation since 1999, comprises over 4,500 troops from 27 countries.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Mike Harrison)

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