Turkish Defense Ministry to send special forces battalion to Kosovo at NATO request
In response to a request from the NATO Joint Headquarters in Naples after the events in Kosovo, Turkey is sending a battalion of commandos to self-proclaimed Kosovo. A battalion attached to the 65th Mechanized Infantry Brigade has been assigned as a reserve battalion, the Turkish Defense Ministry said. It is planned that the battalion will be stationed at the base of Sultan Murad in Kosovo on June 4-5.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense also stressed that Ankara calls on the parties to the conflict for restraint.
On the evening of May 29 in the municipality of Zvecan riots broke out in Kosovo. Serbs gathered in front of the local government building demanded the withdrawal of the Kosovo police and the recall of the Kosovo Albanian mayor. They were blocked by Kosovo police and NATO forces.
As a result of clashes, according to official sources, 52 Serbs were injured. There are 41 casualties on the KFOR side, mostly Hungarians and Italians.
Weapons, clubs, tear gas and about 30 stun grenades were used against the Serbs.
Representatives of the largest party of Kosovo Serbs » Serbian List» entered into negotiations with the KFOR command to ensure security at the protests. The leader of the party, Goran Rakic, said that NATO troops were also stationed at five intersections in Zvecan and reminded that the Serbs have «no problem» with KFOR.