Soldiers swap role-playing for the real thing

FOUR soldiers killed at one checkpoint, three civilians at another.

Thankfully, the flip-chart documenting the deaths was part of a preparatory exercise and not real life.

The setting yesterday was the Kilworth military training camp in Cork, where soldiers from the 1st Southern Brigade conducted various scenarios that might confront them in their forthcoming deployment to Kosovo. In a month’s time, role-playing will stop and the serious business begin.

The 166 troops being deployed form the second Irish infantry battalion to serve with the NATO-led KFOR (Kosovo Force).

A similar number of infantry troops from the 2nd Eastern Brigade served with KFOR last year.

KFOR entered Kosovo on June 12, 1999, two days after the go-ahead was given for a UN mission to be established in the war-ravaged province.

While the UN mission was responsible for establishing an interim civilian administration in Kosovo, KFOR was tasked with maintaining security there.

Since 1999, Irish transport units have served with KFOR, delivering equipment and providing support for operations.

The infantry battalions, however, are more directly involved in maintaining security, functioning as a reserve element which can be called upon at a moment’s notice to set up checkpoints or conduct mobile patrols.

The troops from the 1st Southern Brigade, about 50% of whom are new to overseas service, will depart in two stages, on April 7 and 20, and will serve in Kosovo for six months.

They are well prepared for what they may face, according to one officer, having trained for this mission for almost nine months.

“These troops have undergone intensive training both here and at the Glen of Imaal,” said Commandant Brendan O’Shea. “So they are now at a very high state of readiness for what they will encounter in Kosovo.”

While the army expects the dangers in Kosovo to be containable, for the most part, it remains an extremely volatile region. Although the province is under UN administration, it remains part of Serbia and Montenegro. While Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority wants independence, Serbia opposes the idea, and tensions remain high.

Last week, just days after the first substantive talks since 1999 began between Serbian and ethic Albanian representatives, a hand grenade was fired at the home of Kosovo’s president, Ibrahim Rugova. Earlier this month, a bomb was disabled after being found outside the UN’s headquarters in the province.