Kosovo: The 132 ° Carri Regiment takes over from the 5 ° Alpine Regiment

09/06/15

This morning, at the base of Camp Villaggio Italia, the transfer of responsibility for the Italian Contingent Command took place: the men and women of the 5 Alpini Regiment will return to Vipiteno in the coming days after six months in office, while the 132 Carri Regiment will take over the Command of the Multinational Battle Group West, the Italian-led multinational unit that is responsible for the western sector of Kosovo.

The presence of the Ambassador for Italy in Kosovo, SE Andreas Ferrarese and the general of the division Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, commander of KFOR, contributed to the ceremony.

During his speech, COMKFOR thanked the MNBG-W military "for the professionalism, impartiality and humanity" with which they operated in Kosovo.

"You have always acted - recalled General Figliuolo - in respect of the mandate, to guarantee security and freedom of movement to all the people of Kosovo. You have never spared yourself in activities in favor of the population and in support of society and local authorities, aware that a more just society makes a decisive contribution to eliminating ethnic tensions and all forms of extremism. "

The Alpines of the 5 ° Regiment are not new to missions outside the area, they have already worked in Bosnia, Kosovo and twice in Afghanistan, in these six months, under the command of Colonel Cavalli, they guaranteed freedom of movement in the western part of Kosovo , as well as, ensuring the continuous surveillance of the Orthodox monastery of "Visoki Dečani" and providing a rapid reaction force that can be used for any eventuality, especially in riot gear, in full adherence to the UN 1244 resolution.

In addition to the operational activities, great efforts have also been made in the military-civilian cooperation activities, one of the pillars of Italian commitment in the Balkan theater. Among the major achievements, we mention the establishment of the first mountain rescue team, the birth of a first group of environmental disinfectors, the strong cooperation aimed at the development of the firefighting capacities of the 12 municipalities of the western sector of Kosovo and the numerous donations of foodstuffs and other goods in favor of various local organizations.

Furthermore, the Multinational Battle Group West had a fundamental role of mediation between the municipality of Deçan / Dečani and the monastery of "Visoki Dečani" to reach agreement on the construction of a Bailey bridge on the river adjacent to the area on which the monastery: in addition to the operational aspects, this work will facilitate the access of the entire population to the naturalistic area near the monastery, favoring a possible economic development.

The Banner of the 132 ° Regiment Carri, under the command of Colonel Ciro Forte, returns for the second time in the Balkan territory, after having participated in the "Joint Guardian" operation in the 2000. The Aries tankers will continue to carry out the tasks assigned to the multinational unit, which also sees the participation of Slovenian, Austrian and Moldovan soldiers.