Kosovo sends troops to Kuwait on 1st peacekeeping mission; KSF to operate under US Central Command

TR_123456 · Mar 9, 2021

A Kosovo Security Force (KSF) member wearing a face mask salutes during a peacekeeping mission deployment ceremony held at the army barracks in Pristina, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (Visar Kryeziu/AP)

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo on Tuesday sent a military platoon to Kuwait to take part in the country’s first ever international peacekeeping mission.

A ceremony was held at the army barracks in the capital, Pristina, in the presence of top leaders and western military attaches.

“It’s extremely important because 22 years after the war, we’re not just importing peacekeeping troops, we’re also exporting them,” Acting President Vjosa Osmani said.

Kosovo is sending the unit on a six-month tour following a request from the U.S. Central Command. Its troops will be under the command of the National Guard of Iowa.

The Defense Ministry said the Kosovo unit “will operate under the Central Command of the American forces responsible for a geographic zone, including the Middle East, part of South Asia and Northeastern Africa.”

No specifics on the exact location in Kuwait or the number of Kosovo peacekeepers to be deployed were made public. A platoon of 32 soldiers was seen lined up during the ceremony.

Kosovo Security Force (KSF) members wearing protective face masks line up during a peacekeeping mission deployment ceremony held at the army barracks in Pristina, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (Visar Kryeziu/AP)

Kuwait and the United States have a formal Defense Cooperation Agreement and approximately 13,500 U.S. forces are based in Kuwait, primarily at Camp Arifjan and Ali Al Salem Air Base. Since 2004, Kuwait has been designated as a major non-NATO ally.