Ankara will send commandos to Kosovo as part of the NATO force

In a statement issued today, the ministry called for restraint and constructive dialogue to resolve the crisis.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense said that Turkey intends to send commandos to Kosovo tomorrow Sunday and the day after tomorrow Monday, in response to NATO’s request to join the peacekeeping force of the coalition “KFOR” in the wake of the unrest in northern Kosovo.

In a statement issued today, the ministry called for restraint and constructive dialogue to resolve the crisis, which it says may harm regional security and stability.

“Our unit (a commando battalion) is scheduled to deploy to … Kosovo on June 4 and 5,” the ministry announced.

A political crisis erupted into violence in northern Kosovo when Albanian mayors took office in the region’s Serb-majority cities, prompting the United States and its allies to criticize Pristina. The Serb population, who constitutes the majority in northern Kosovo, boycotted the April elections, which resulted in the election of Albanian mayors.

In violent incidents on Monday, 30 peacekeepers and 52 Serbs who were protesting against the mayors were injured. The violence prompted NATO to announce additional troops, in addition to the 700 already heading to the region, to bolster its 4,000-strong mission.