Given the tensions in the Western Balkans, NATO is considering a permanent increase in the number of troops in that country. “We are currently analyzing whether we should permanently increase troops to ensure that the situation does not spiral out of control and lead to a new violent conflict in Kosovo or the entire region,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said today during a visit to Kosovo. .
After violence between ethnic groups flared up again in Kosovo in September, the Western military alliance called up reserve forces. NATO’s KFOR regional peacekeeping force, in operation since 1999, includes more than 4,500 troops from 27 countries.
Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have increased since the end of September, after armed Serbs attacked a Kosovo police station in the north of the country. Around 50,000 Serbs live in northern Kosovo, but more than 90 percent of the total population are ethnic Albanians. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, but this is not recognized by either the government in Belgrade or the Serb minority in Kosovo.