The Kosovo Security Force (KSF) was deployed in northern Kosovo today to assist in the search for the body of a 33-year-old migrant who jumped from the Ujman artificial lake bridge on Sunday and has not been seen since.
The deployment highlights the humanitarian role of the KSF, which NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized during his visit to Prishtina on March 11. Rutte stated that NATO’s mandate is to ensure that the KSF remains effective as a humanitarian force in cases of natural or man-made disasters.
“Our mandate is to help the KSF be more capable in its humanitarian role. This is exactly NATO’s mission — to support the KSF to respond effectively when there are such emergencies,” Rutte said during a joint press conference with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani.
President Osmani reaffirmed that while Kosovo’s NATO membership remains complex — partly because four NATO member states do not recognize Kosovo’s independence — the KSF still retains its full constitutional mandate to protect Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to safeguard all its citizens.
She also noted that Kosovo has strengthened the KSF’s international role through bilateral agreements with NATO member states, expanding its contribution to regional and global security.
Osmani highlighted that Kosovo’s troops are trained by NATO countries and operate in full compliance with NATO standards, referencing a historic exchange of letters between Kosovo’s government and a former NATO Secretary General to enhance operational cooperation.
