No Swisscoy soldiers injured: EDA and Amherd condemn attack on KFOR soldiers

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Following violent clashes in northern Kosovo, the Swiss Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the attacks on soldiers of Kosovo’s defense force KFOR. Swiss Swisscoy members were not injured.

At the request of Keystone-SDA, the Federal Ministry of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (DDPS) announced that no Swisscoy members were on site. The Competence Center for International Peacebuilding of the Swiss Army (Swissint), Swisscoy and KFOR observed the situation on the ground. The safety of Swisscoy members is a priority.

Amherd appreciates the efforts of the KFOR soldiers

Defense Minister Viola Amherd praised KFOR’s commitment to the country’s stability in a tweet. Thank you to everyone who is committed to this.

The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (EDA), meanwhile, called for calm in northern Kosovo. KFOR forces are committed to peace and security in the region, the EDA tweeted on Tuesday. Any act of provocation should be avoided by all concerned.

Numerous soldiers from the NATO-led KFOR were injured on Monday in clashes in Serb-populated northern Kosovo. The clashes came as militant Serbs protested against the appointment of new mayors in Zvecan and two other municipalities.

Numerous wounded soldiers

The Italian Ministry of Defense spoke in a statement of 14 wounded Italians from the KFOR contingent. Also among the injured were 20 Hungarian KFOR soldiers, the Budapest news portal hvg.hu wrote, citing diplomatic circles.

The KFOR was established in 1999 as a multinational military formation after the end of the Kosovo War. The name is derived from the English “Kosovo Force”. The troops are led by NATO. Since 1999, the Swiss army has been involved in the KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo together with Swisscoy. At the beginning of the year, Swisscoy had 195 members of the military. The current mandate expires at the end of 2023. (SDA/sq)

Source:Blick