The number of KFOR military personnel, Nato’s peacekeeping force in Kosovo, will be progressively reduced to about 5000, Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on October 29 2010.
 
The Nato decision marks "one more step in the adaptation of KFOR to a deterrent presence," the alliance’s website quoted him as saying.
 
"The security conditions in Kosovo continue to improve, which is a positive sign not only for Kosovo, but for the whole region," Rasmussen said.  
 
Local institutions are increasingly capable of assuming responsibility for security tasks, he said.
 
KFOR will remain able to deploy forces quickly and effectively whenever and wherever necessary, including with robust reserves. KFOR’s mission to guarantee a safe and secure environment in Kosovo remains unchanged, Rasmussen said.
 
Nato has had the peacekeeping force in Kosovo since June 1999 in support of wider international efforts to build peace and stability in the area.
 
Currently, there are just less than 10 000 KFOR military personnel, provided by 31 countries (24 Nato and seven non-Nato), are still deployed in Kosovo to help maintain a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all citizens, irrespective of their ethnic origin, Nato’s website said.
 
After Kosovo declared independence in February 2008, Nato reaffirmed that KFOR would remain in Kosovo on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, unless the United Nations Security Council decides otherwise, Nato said.
 
In June 2008, Nato agreed to take on new tasks in Kosovo "to support the development of professional, democratic and multi-ethnic security structures".
 
"Throughout Kosovo, Nato and KFOR will continue to work with the authorities and, bearing in mind its operational mandate, KFOR will cooperate with and assist the UN, the EU and other international actors, as appropriate, to support the development of a stable, democratic, multi-ethnic and peaceful Kosovo."
 
Over time, as the security situation has improved, Nato has gradually adjusted KFOR’s force posture to what is called a deterrent presence: essentially a smaller force progressively relying more on flexibility and intelligence, according to the alliance’s website.
 
"The pace and level of successive troop reductions will be decided by the North Atlantic Council as the security situation on the ground evolves and in light of security conditions," Nato said.