KFOR helicopters have been engaged since yesterday afternoon in extinguishing a vast fire developed in a mountain resort in southern Kosovo, near the city of Prizren.
The helicopters, equipped to collect water and discharge it directly onto the flames, were requested by the local fire brigade to block the flames that developed in a particularly inaccessible area impossible to reach with the means supplied to the Kosovar unit. The commander of KFOR, division general Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta, after evaluating the impact of the intervention on the mission but also the gravity and extent of the fire, started the operation.
The KFOR pilots flew for about three hours yesterday afternoon until the operations were interrupted due to the arrival of the night. The request of the Kosovar authorities was forwarded again this morning and five aircraft, one more than yesterday, are working diligently to prevent the fire from spreading further.
KFOR has been in Kosovo since 1999, to guarantee the safety and freedom of movement of the population without distinction of ethnicity and religious belief as established by UN resolution 1244. Currently the Force is about 5000 men and women from 31 nations, General MIglietta is the 19esimo commander and took command of the 7 August 2015.
