The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will withdraw its troops from the international peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) because its mission is over, a senior UAE officer said, cited by the official WAM news agency.
“The forces are packing up in preparations to leave for homeland after successfully carrying out their duty,” said Brigadier Shahwan Surour Al Dhahir, deputy commander of the Northern Multi-national Brigade and liaison officer of UAE Force.
He said that the force had alleviated the suffering of the Kosovars by offering relief assistance and contributing to efforts aimed at maintaining peace and security in the region.
”The force's military mission was tinged with a humanitarian touch," he said, adding that the trip home and transportation of equipment "could take a month."
KFOR spokesman Squadron Leader Daz Slaven said the first Emirati troops would leave Kosovo on Monday and that the pullout would be completed by November 1, according to AFP.
The Emirati force has been in charge of security for several Serb enclaves as part of the KFOR Brigade North, which is under French command.
However, Colonel Philippe Desrousseaux, in charge of communication for the northern brigade, said the brigade had not been informed that the withdrawal would begin Monday, adding he had expected the departure to start mid-November.
"It's a national decision, of a sovereign state... as part of general security measures," he said.
He explained that the UAE had already pulled its soldiers and helicopters from the Brigade East.
More than 40,000 troops are taking part in the KFOR mission, which began in June 1999, when NATO entered Kosovo – Albawaba.com
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