Army unit arrives at its Kosovo base

The Army's contribution to the NATO-controlled Kfor mission arrived at its new base in Kosovo shortly before midnight last night The 104-strong transport and logistics unit left the Greek shipping port of Thessalonika yesterday evening to complete its journey to Camp Clarke in Lipljan, 15 km south-west of Pristina.

The trip had been delayed for over 12 hours after the Greek authorities refused to allow the troops travel at peak time for fear they would snarl up the main supply route into Macedonia.

When fully operational, the Army unit will help with the distribution of humanitarian aid and the transport of engineering equipment.

It is only the second mission in which the Army will be under NATO command. As with the previous one, Ffor, the stabilisation force in Bosnia Herzegovina, it has been facilitated by the mission being given a UN mandate.

It is also believed to be the first mission in which Irish troops will be taking orders directly from a British army chief, Lieut-Gen Sir Michael Jackson, who is to be replaced by a German general in the coming weeks when Kfor completes its transition from a rapid reaction to a peacekeeping force.

The troops, who flew into Thessalonika from Dublin on Sunday, collected their vehicles before setting off on the 140-mile journey to the Irish camp. The convoy comprised almost 30 vehicles, including troop carriers, jeeps and articulated trucks.

The troops have been issued with Steyr assault rifles, general purpose machineguns and Browning 9 mm automatic pistols.

Group Commander Comdt Martin Gibson, from Cork, normally based in Athlone, Co Westmeath, said: "We don't see ourselves getting involved in dayto-day security matters, like confrontations with villagers." He said the main threat to personnel was from road accidents and unexploded ordnance.

Despite arriving in temperatures yesterday of 30 Celsius, the unit was already making preparations for the harsh Kosovan winter, when temperatures can fall to as low as 25C. All troops have been issued with a new layered, all-weather combat uniform, while vehicles have been equipped with snow chains, de-icing fluids and winterised fuels.

For living quarters, the soldiers will use "Weatherhaven" units, developed by the Canadian armed forces and used previously by the Army in Somalia. Each unit is individually heated and air-conditioned to withstand extreme high or low temperatures.

While the Army will be based in an area of Kosovo controlled by the Fourth British Brigade, it will not be under its command. Rather, it will take directions from Kfor headquarters in Pristina.

Only three other non-NATO or Partnership for Peace countries are participating in the 31,000 troop Kfor mission. They are Argentina, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.

Comdt Gibson stressed, however, it was not a NATO mission. "As we see it, we're working very closely with NATO countries but under a UN mandate."

The deployment of 104 troops brings to 189 the total number of Irish soldiers now based in the Balkans, and to almost 480 the total number serving overseas.