The Bundeswehr published a detailed article on Kosovo Liberation Day, outlining the entire journey of the KFOR mission and specifically the German troops over the years.
In this Bundeswehr article, the disturbances that occurred in Northern Kosovo in April 2023 are specified, when local Serbs opposed the installation of Albanian mayors in municipal buildings after the elections held in the North.
The Bundeswehr also recalls the terrorist attack that occurred several months later in Banjska, where Afrim Bunjaku, a member of the Kosovo Police, was killed.
“Another serious escalation followed at the end of September 2023. A Kosovo law enforcement officer was killed in a terrorist attack on a police patrol. During investigations into the incident, it appears that Serbian actors were also involved,” the article states.
Following these events that marked 2023 and significantly increased security concerns in Northern Kosovo and the region, KFOR decided to increase troops, and now Germany is the country that will regularly deploy new forces as part of the mission.
“Even if the numbers are far from the 6,000 German soldiers who were there in the early days of the mission in 1999, now with 300 German soldiers in KFOR, it is the largest deployment of the Bundeswehr within the international crisis management framework,” the report states.
The Bundeswehr emphasizes in this article that after years of shrinking contingents, Bundeswehr soldiers in Kosovo will soon carry out tasks they haven’t performed in a long time.
“They will go on patrol, operate checkpoints, and intervene when demonstrations get out of control. At the same time, however, they will also help Kosovo to ensure its own security. Their mission is also to support the development of professional, democratic, and multiethnic Kosovo security forces,” the article states.
In the end, it is stated that the mission in Kosovo is and remains important and that the long-term goal remains the transfer of security responsibility to Kosovar institutions.
“The outbreaks of violence in Northern Kosovo in 2023 have shown that an effective international military presence is still needed. KFOR forces in Kosovo are a central pillar of stability and crucial for controlling the security situation in Kosovo. The governments of Kosovo and Serbia also welcome the continuation of the Kosovo KFOR Force, so the Bundeswehr will continue its mission. The long-term goal remains the transfer of security responsibility to Kosovo’s security institutions. With the help of the Bundeswehr, this can be achieved,” the article concludes.
