NATO to Gradually Reduce Troop Levels in Kosovo Over Next Year
NATO announced plans to reduce troop numbers in its Kosovo peacekeeping mission (KFOR) over the next year, citing improved security conditions and increased capability of local security forces. The mission, which has operated since 1999 with approximately 4,600 soldiers, will implement calibrated reductions that can be reversed if security conditions deteriorate. The drawdown reflects NATO's assessment that stability has improved sufficiently to allow for optimization of force posture.
NATO announced on Friday that it will gradually reduce the number of troops deployed in Kosovo over the next year, with reductions occurring in line with national rotational deployment cycles and conditions on the ground. The alliance currently maintains approximately 4,600 soldiers as part of KFOR, the peacekeeping mission established in June 1999 following NATO air strikes that ended the Kosovo war. U.S. Air Force General Alexus G. Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, stated that improved stability and increased capability of local security organizations have created an opportunity to optimize KFOR's size and posture. NATO emphasized that the reductions would be calibrated and gradual, with the flexibility to reverse course if security conditions change. This announcement comes roughly three years after NATO deployed an additional 1,000 troops to Kosovo in 2023, the largest reinforcement in a decade, following tensions and clashes between Serb gunmen and local police in northern Kosovo.
What different sources said
- EuronewsCenter
NATO to cut troop numbers in Kosovo amid 'improved security situation'
- The Straits TimesCenter
NATO will gradually adjust strength of peace support mission in Kosovo over next year
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