Reinforcements of NATO’s peacekeeping force (KFOR) have begun arriving in Kosovo following last week’s unrest in the country’s north, Reuters reported on Monday from the alliance.

Violent clashes between Serbian protesters and law enforcement agencies in northern KosovoPhoto: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia

The violence erupted after Kosovo authorities appointed ethnic Albanian mayors in northern municipalities after they were elected with a turnout of just 3.5 percent after the region’s Serb majority boycotted local elections.

During the clashes, 30 members of NATO’s peacekeeping force, known as KFOR, were injured, as well as 52 Serbian demonstrators.

“Approximately 500 troops from the 65th Mechanized Infantry Brigade from Turkey will form the bulk of the reinforcements,” NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said on Twitter.

NATO has decided to deploy 700 extra peacekeepers to Kosovo, bringing the total to 4,000, in response to the crisis, and the alliance’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said Thursday he was ready to send more.

“NATO will remain vigilant. We will be there to provide a safe environment and to calm and reduce tensions,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo.