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15/04/2010
Irish Troops Set To Leave Kosovo
Irish troops have formally marked their withdrawal from the former war-zone of Kosovo.
In a ceremony held this afternoon the departure of almost 200 Irish troops is to indicate the end of more than a decade of Defence Forces involvement in the country.
The 41st Infantry Group was formally stood down from Kfor, the Nato-led, UN-mandated mission to provide security in the ex-Yugoslav province, in a special ceremony at Camp Clarke in Pristina this afternoon.
The main body of troops are then set to fly home next week, reducing the Irish contingent from 240 to just 50.
The withdrawal comes after the Government's decision last December to reduce the amount of staff serving with Kfor with a further decrease is planned for October which will leave a small number of personnel remaining in the once war-torn region.
Since their initial deployment in 1999, the Defence Forces have provided more than 3,500 individual tours of duty, with 22 unit deployments.
The Defence Forces originally deployed to Kosovo in 1999 with a transport and logistics company.
Their mission was to provide equipment and transport to military units in Kfor and to humanitarian organisations working with the UN.
In 2007 and 2008, the Defence Forces were appointed as the lead nation in the Multi-National Task Force and provided the commander and ancillary staff for that year. The commander was Brigadier General Gerry Hegarty, whose command extended to some 1,700 troops from six countries.
The 58 vehicles and 35 ISO sea containers will be moved on 300km by road from Kosovo through Macedonia to the port city of Thessalonica in Greece, from where they will be shipped home.
(BMcC)
In a ceremony held this afternoon the departure of almost 200 Irish troops is to indicate the end of more than a decade of Defence Forces involvement in the country.
The 41st Infantry Group was formally stood down from Kfor, the Nato-led, UN-mandated mission to provide security in the ex-Yugoslav province, in a special ceremony at Camp Clarke in Pristina this afternoon.
The main body of troops are then set to fly home next week, reducing the Irish contingent from 240 to just 50.
The withdrawal comes after the Government's decision last December to reduce the amount of staff serving with Kfor with a further decrease is planned for October which will leave a small number of personnel remaining in the once war-torn region.
Since their initial deployment in 1999, the Defence Forces have provided more than 3,500 individual tours of duty, with 22 unit deployments.
The Defence Forces originally deployed to Kosovo in 1999 with a transport and logistics company.
Their mission was to provide equipment and transport to military units in Kfor and to humanitarian organisations working with the UN.
In 2007 and 2008, the Defence Forces were appointed as the lead nation in the Multi-National Task Force and provided the commander and ancillary staff for that year. The commander was Brigadier General Gerry Hegarty, whose command extended to some 1,700 troops from six countries.
The 58 vehicles and 35 ISO sea containers will be moved on 300km by road from Kosovo through Macedonia to the port city of Thessalonica in Greece, from where they will be shipped home.
(BMcC)
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Ireland WeatherToday:Some low cloud lingering in the north and west through the day, although cloud should burn back to the coast as the day goes on. Elsewhere some good sunny spells with very little cloud. Warm with light winds. Maximum temperature 22 °C.Tonight:A sunny evening for most except where cloud lingers along the north coast. Cloud will increase for a lot of areas overnight with mist and fog patches developing. Minimum temperature 7 °C.
