Türkiye deploys special forces to Kosovo at NATO's request
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REGION  05 June 2023 - 10:35

Türkiye has sent more military units to Kosovo, where clashes with ethnic Serbs had previously taken place.

The statement came from the Turkish National Defence Ministry on Twitter, Caliber.Az reports.

Kosova’da görev yapacak olan 65’inci Mekanize Piyade Tugay Komutanlığımıza (Lüleburgaz) bağlı komando taburunun ilk kafilesi Kosova’ya intikalini tamamladı. Barış ve huzurun korunması için Kosova’da bulunan Kahraman Mehmetçiklerimize hayırlı başarılı görevler diliyoruz.… pic.twitter.com/9TTgcJyusI

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) June 4, 2023

The ministry reported that the decision was made in response to the request by the Command of the NATO Joint Armed Forces (headquarters in Napoli).

"Türkiye also adheres to a constructive position on the issue of resolving through dialogue the situation in the north of friendly and fraternal Kosovo, where tension threatened the security and stability of the region. Ankara calls on all parties to exercise restraint," the ministry stressed.

According to the Turkish National Defence Ministry, a Turkish special forces unit will be deployed to the Sultan Murat barracks in Kosovo by June 4-5.

Both Serbia and Kosovo are under international pressure to resolve the latest in a long line of crises between Kosovo's ethnic Albanian-dominated government and ethnic Serbs who are a majority in the north.

Violence flared this week after Kosovo authorities, backed by special police units, installed ethnic Albanian mayors in offices in northern municipalities. The mayors had been elected on a turnout of just 3.5 per cent after Serbs boycotted local polls.

Caliber.Az