A senior Army officer who was appointed to head a multinational taskforce in central Kosovo took up his new post yesterday.
Sligo-born Brig Gen Gerry Hegarty will command a multinational taskforce that is linked to Nato's Partnership for Peace mission in central Kosovo. The region contains half the province's population, some one million people, and includes its capital, Pristina.
Brig Hegarty is a former director of operations with the Army and already has extensive overseas experience, having served in the Balkans and as a battalion commander in Lebanon.
He will be the first Army officer to command a multinational taskforce in the Balkans. The taskforce includes soldiers from Ireland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, Finland and Latvia.
Ireland has contributed troops to KFOR since its inception in 1999 to maintain peace in the troubled area following the break-up of Yugoslavia.
Around 16,000 military personnel from 34 nations are stationed in Kosovo, some 220 of whom are Irish.
A further 60 Army personnel are to be deployed as Ireland succeeds Sweden as lead framework nation of the taskforce for the next year.
Since its formation, KFOR has assisted with the return or relocation of displaced persons and refugees, reconstruction and de-mining in Kosovo, providing medical assistance and maintaining security and public order in the province.
