Ivan Anušić, Croatia’s Defense Minister, has announced that Croatia is considering increasing the number of its troops serving in the Kosovo Force (KFOR), despite NATO’s broader plan to reduce the mission’s overall troop presence in Kosovo.
Speaking from Turkey, Anušić said Croatia aims to increase its contingent to 200 troops, adding that a final decision is expected after the conclusion of the NATO summit.
“As far as I know, there will be a withdrawal of some troops from the KFOR mission in Kosovo. Some soldiers will be reassigned to other missions. Croatia is considering and proposing increasing the number of its personnel in KFOR to 200, and we plan to do so. Everything will be much clearer after the summit concludes tomorrow and concrete decisions are reached,” Anušić said.
He added that although NATO is expected to reduce KFOR’s overall force size, Croatia, as a NATO member, intends to strengthen its own contribution.
“The information has not yet been officially confirmed, but the direction is toward reducing KFOR personnel from around 5,000 to approximately 3,500 troops responsible for maintaining peace and stability in Kosovo. Croatia intends to increase the number of its personnel in that mission—that is our goal,” he said.
Croatia currently has 151 troops deployed in Kosovo as part of the KFOR mission.
