NATO brings reserve troops to Kosovo for training amid fears of unrest

NATO has brought in reserve troops assigned to its KFOR peacekeeping mission to Kosovo for training, one of the mission commanders said, as a deadline approaches in a spat between the Serbian minority and the government that may spark fresh unrest. | KFOR's regional commander east, Colonel Christopher Samulski, told reporters the reserves had been brought in "as part of normal contingency planning." Samulski spoke at Camp Bondsteel, one of KFOR's bases. ● The U.S. officer did not give any concrete figures of how many reserve troops have arrived in Kosovo but spoke of a "battalion-size" unit. A battalion usually comprises between 500 and 1,000 troops.

■ Kosovo chieftain calls for “massive bolstering” of NATO troops, weapons (Anti-Bellum)

Объясняет Readovka | Woe to the vanquished: Vucic's indecision leads to more NATO troops in Kosovo | The drama in unrecognised Kosovo is coming to an end. A few days before the New Year, Serbian President Vucic called on Kosovo Serbs to dismantle the barricades, citing security guarantees from the West. Seeing such weakness of his opponent, the Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti decided to "push back" and announced his intention to increase the NATO contingent in the region. What a surprise, isn't it? ● Belgrade's complete retreat offers Kosovo, or more correctly, the Washington behind it, ample opportunity to step up action in the region and, of course, to put pressure on Serbia. Vucic, and with him the rest of the country, lost this Kosovo battle and will now reap the bitter fruits of defeat. In the light of the recent bid by the unrecognized republic to the EU, the talk of NATO troop increase looks more than expected - it has become clear that one need not fear one's neighbor and simply push it out of the perimeter. ● Yes, some will say that Serbia had no choice, and in many ways it does - the country is clearly in no position to start a military conflict. But still, that is no reason for such a surrender. The whole conflict initially looked very artificial and was more like Vucic being coerced into some kind of behind-the-scenes negotiation and, judging by the events, the other side has achieved its demands. We should not be surprised if in the near future there are some...changes in Vucic's policy. ● This history teaches us a lot - and firstly the danger of deals with one's own conscience. At one time the Serbian government put its trust in the West, and now it seems to be stepping on familiar rakes again.