Smith to visit Kosovo on Balkans tour

Kosovo is the next stop for Defence Minister Michael Smith on his tour of the Balkans.

The Fianna Fail Minister will see at first hand the humanitarian projects in which Irish troops take part.

The Irish Defence Forces have been serving on the NATO led UN peace-keeping mission in Kosovo since 1999.

At the moment 120 personnel are stationed at Camp Clarke in Pristina as part of a transport company.

However next year those numbers will swell to about 250 and the focus will change to infantry.