Kosovo Force

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Pocket badge of the KFOR in both latin and cyrillic letters
Pocket badge of the KFOR in both latin and cyrillic letters

The Kosovo Force (KFOR) is a NATO-led international force responsible for establishing a safe and secure environment in Kosovo, the self-proclaimed, independent and partially recognized landlocked country in the Balkans, which has been under UN administration since 1999.

KFOR entered Kosovo on June 12, 1999 under a United Nations mandate, two days after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1244. At the time of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, Kosovo was facing a grave humanitarian crisis, with military and paramilitary forces from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in daily engagement. Ethnic tensions were at their highest and the death toll had reached a historic high. Nearly one million people had fled Kosovo as refugees.[1]

As of 2007, KFOR consisted of approximately 16,000 troops. KFOR’s presence remains crucial to guarantee security and stability in Kosovo as the diplomatic process led by the United Nations to define its future status moves forward.[citation needed]

After the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence the commander of NATO forces in Kosovo said on February 20, 2008 that he did not plan to step up security in the tense north despite violent attacks by Kosovo Serb which forced the temporary closure of two boundary crossings between Kosovo and Serbia.[2]

Contents

[edit] Objectives

Map of the KFOR-Sectors, 2002
Map of the KFOR-Sectors, 2002

NATO’s initial mandate was: [3]

  • to deter renewed hostility and threats against Kosovo by Yugoslav and Serb forces;
  • to establish and maintain a secure environment in Kosovo, including public safety and civil order;
  • to demilitarise the Kosovo Liberation Army;
  • to support the international humanitarian effort;
  • to coordinate with and support the international civil presence.

Today, KFOR focuses on building a secure environment in which all citizens, irrespective of their ethnic origins, can live in peace and, with international aid, democracy and civil society are gradually gaining strength. KFOR tasks have included:

  • assistance with the return or relocation of displaced persons and refugees;
  • reconstruction and demining;
  • medical assistance;
  • security and public order;
  • security of ethnic minorities;
  • protection of patrimonial sites;
  • border security;
  • interdiction of cross-border weapons smuggling;
  • implementation of a Kosovo-wide weapons, ammunition and explosives amnesty programme;
  • weapons destruction;
  • support for the establishment of civilian institutions, law and order, the judicial and penal system, the electoral process and other aspects of the political, economic and social life of the province.

The Contact Group countries have said publicly that KFOR will remain in Kosovo to provide the security necessary to support the provisions of a final settlement of Kosovo's status.[4]

[edit] Structure

KFOR Tasks Forces, 2006
KFOR Tasks Forces, 2006
Ukrainian soldiers on foot, patrolling in Serbian village near Brezovica
Ukrainian soldiers on foot, patrolling in Serbian village near Brezovica
German Army KFOR soldiers and a Marder armoured personnel carrier in southern Kosovo in 1999
German Army KFOR soldiers and a Marder armoured personnel carrier in southern Kosovo in 1999
German Bundeswehr KFOR soldiers patrol southern Kosovo in 1999
German Bundeswehr KFOR soldiers patrol southern Kosovo in 1999

KFOR contingents were originally grouped into 4 regionally-based multinational brigades. The brigades were responsible for a specific area of operations, but under a single chain of command under the authority of Commander KFOR. In August 2005, the North Atlantic Council decided to restructure KFOR, replacing the four existing multinational brigades with five task forces, to allow for greater flexibility with, for instance, the removal of restrictions on the cross-boundary movement of units based in different sectors of Kosovo.[5]

  • Multinational Task Force North (MNTF-N):

MNTF-N is deployed in the northern region of Kosovo, headquartered in Novo Selo and is commanded by Brigadier General Eric Arnaud (French Army).
Contributing nations: Belgium, Denmark, France (Lead nation), Greece, Estonia, Luxemburg, Morocco.

  • Multinational Task Force East (MNTF-E):

MNTF-E is deployed in the eastern region of Kosovo, headquartered in Uroševac and is commanded by Brigadier General John E. Davoren (U.S. Army) since November, 2007. The majority of U.S. Soldiers are members of the National Guard who are mobilized for the KFOR mission.

Camp Bondsteel serves as the headquarters for Multinational Task Force East (MNTF-E). Camp Monteith has also been used by the KFOR.

Contributing nations: Armenia, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, United States (Lead nation). The official sites are http://www.tffalcon.hqusareur.army.mil/ and http://www.kfor9.org/home

  • Multinational Task Force South (MNTF-S):

MNTF-S is deployed in the southern region of Kosovo, headquartered in Prizren. This Task Force has been established on May 15, 2006 and is commanded by Brigadier General Uğur Tarçin (Turkish Army) since May 29, 2007.
Contributing nations: Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey (Lead nation).

  • Multinational Task Force West (MNTF-W):

MNTF-W is deployed in the region of Metohijao, headquartered in Peć and is commanded by Brigadier General Antonio Venci (Italian Army).
Contributing nations: Italy (lead nation), Spain, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania.

  • Multinational Task Force Center (MNTF-C):

MNTF-C is deployed in the region of Drenica, headquartered in Lipljan and is commanded by Brigadier General Hegarty (Irish Army).
Contributing nations: Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland (Lead nation), Latvia, Slovakia, Sweden.

[edit] Contributing nations

At its height, KFOR troops numbered 50,000 and came from 39 different NATO / Non-NATO nations. The official KFOR website indicated that in April 2007 a total 16,000 soldiers from 34 countries participated in KFOR.[6]

The nations contributing the most personnel to KFOR at the time included:


Other contributing NATO Nations included:

Other contributing non-NATO Nations have included:

[edit] KFOR Commanders

  1. Mike Jackson (Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom, June 12, 1999 - October 8, 1999),
  2. Klaus Reinhardt (Flag of Germany Germany, October 8, 1999 - April 18, 2000),
  3. Juan Ortuño Such (Flag of Spain Spain, April 18, 2000 - October 16, 2000),
  4. Carlo Cabigiosu (Flag of Italy Italy, October 16, 2000 - April 6, 2001),
  5. Thorstein Skiaker (Flag of Norway Norway, April 6, 2001 - October 3, 2001),
  6. Marcel Valentin (Flag of France France, October 3, 2001 - October 4, 2002),
  7. Fabio Mini (Flag of Italy Italy, October 4, 2002 - October 3, 2003),
  8. Holger Kammerhoff (Flag of Germany Germany, October 3, 2003 - September 1, 2004),
  9. Yves de Kermabon (Flag of France France, September 1, 2004 - September 1, 2005),
  10. Giuseppe Valotto (Flag of Italy Italy, September 1, 2005 - September 1, 2006),
  11. Roland Kather (Flag of Germany Germany, September 1, 2006 - August 31, 2007),
  12. Xavier de Marnhac (Flag of France France, August 31, 2007 - Present).

[edit] Magazines

The KFOR Chronicle is published monthly, and is cleared for public dissemination. It is also published on the Internet for an international audience at http://www.nato.int/kfor/chronicle/

The Guardian East is another monthly publication created by the US led Multi-National Task Force - East. http://www.tffalcon.hqusareur.army.mil/

[edit] KFOR fatalities

Main article: Kosovo Forces fatalities

Since the KFOR entered Kosovo in June 1999 157 NATO soldiers have been killed, mostly in accidents. On October 19, 2004, it was confirmed that 115 NATO soldiers had been killed during the operation.[9] After that 42 more NATO soldiers were confirmed to have died, including 34 Slovak soldiers in a military plane crash in Hungary.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ NATO Topics: NATO in Kosovo
  2. ^ CNN, No added NATO security in Kosovo, 2008
  3. ^ NATO Topics: Kosovo Force (KFOR)
  4. ^ NATO Topics: Kosovo Force (KFOR) - How did it evolve?
  5. ^ NATO Topics: Kosovo Force (KFOR) - How did it evolve?
  6. ^ KFOR Press Release
  7. ^ http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/05/content_7718316.htm
  8. ^ http://en.rian.ru/world/20080414/105041588.html
  9. ^ British soldier killed in a car accident in Kosovo

[edit] External links