Reps. Torres, Self, and Latimer Introduce Resolution Calling on U.S. Military to Remain in KFOR Until Mission is Complete

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) introduced H. Res. 1250, a resolution expressing strong support for the continued presence of United States military personnel in the Kosovo Force (KFOR) and calling on them to remain in Kosovo until the mission is complete. The resolution is cosponsored by Congressmen Keith Self (TX-03) and George Latimer (NY-16).

KFOR was deployed to Kosovo following the 1999 Kosovo war to maintain peace and stability and serve as a deterrent to further aggression. Today, approximately 5,000 NATO military personnel are assigned to the mission, including up to 600 U.S. troops who provide the critical military capabilities and intelligence the broader force depends on.

Recent years have seen a troubling escalation of tensions between Kosovo and Serbia. In September 2023, heavily armed Serbian gunmen ambushed Kosovo Police near the Banjska Monastery, killing Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku. Days later, Serbian tanks, artillery, and mechanized infantry massed on Kosovo’s border, prompting a direct warning from the National Security Council. KFOR responded by deploying additional units to northern Kosovo.

The full text of the resolution reads as follows:

“Whereas the Kosovo Force (KFOR) was deployed to Kosovo following the 1999 Kosovo war to maintain peace and stability in Kosovo and to serve as a deterrent to further aggression by Belgrade;

“Whereas KFOR derives its mandate from the June 9, 1999, Kumanovo Military-Technical Agreement between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia;

“Whereas the provisions of this agreement were incorporated into United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244;

“Whereas there have been several recent instances of increased military tensions between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia since the 1999 Kosovo war, including an August 6, 2022, incident on the Kosovo-Serbia border when a Kosovo patrol reported being fired upon from across the border; the September 24, 2023, Banjska attack when heavily armed Serb gunmen ambushed Kosovo Police near the Banjska Monastery in northern Kosovo, killing Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku and wounding others; and the September 29, 2023, buildup of Serbian tanks, artillery, and mechanized infantry on the Republic of Kosovo’s border, prompting a warning by National Security Council Spokesperson Rear Admiral John Kirby and a demand by the United States for Serbia to withdraw;

“Whereas, in response to these events and other dangers, KFOR deployed units to northern Kosovo to maintain peace and stability;

“Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 states that KFOR’s expressed goal is to deter renewed hostilities, maintain, and where necessary, enforce the cease-fire established under the Kumanovo Agreement;

“Whereas, today, KFOR plays a key mission in maintaining the peace and security between Kosovo and Serbia, as well as being a political deterrent to those seeking to stoke ethnic violence;

“Whereas there are an estimated 5,000 NATO military personnel assigned to KFOR, of which a small force of up to 600 military personnel are United States military personnel;

“Whereas the Iowa National Guard, through the State Partnership Program, offers critical strategic assistance to KFOR and Iowa National Guard units benefit greatly from operational training with KFOR;

“Whereas the United States has been instrumental in providing key military capabilities and intelligence to maintain peace and security between Kosovo and Serbia with the small, but crucial American military presence in Kosovo; and

“Whereas a reduction of United States military personnel in KFOR would come at the cost of stability and security within the region and benefit of those who seek to upend peace: Now, therefore, be it

“Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes that the significant tensions between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia are not resolved and these significant tensions remain between the two countries; asserts that the continued military presence of NATO’s KFOR is vital to help maintain peace and security between Serbia and Kosovo; supports the ongoing presence of NATO’s KFOR mission in Kosovo to maintain peace and security between Serbia and Kosovo; expresses strong support for the deployment of United States military personnel to KFOR; recognizes the continued need for United States military capabilities to ensure that KFOR retains a robust operational force; and strongly urges that United States military personnel stationed in Kosovo remain there until the mission is complete.”

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