Kosovo Orders Turkish Bayraktar TB2 Drones

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said a contract has been signed with Turkey’s Baykar for a batch of Bayraktar TB2 combat drones.

Kurti confirmed the acquisition in a Facebook post on Sunday. He was seen photographed in front of a Bayraktar TB2.

"We have added the Bayraktar TB2 UAVs, which we purchased from Türkiye as a state, to our army's inventory!" said Kurti.

He did not give the number or the cost of the drones.

Kosovo gained independence from Serbia in 2008. It is building an army intended eventually to have 5,000 regular soldiers and 3,000 reservists. The NATO military alliance also has over 4,500 peacekeepers in the country of 1.8 million people.

In past months, the country has faced its worst ethnic violence in the north which is home to some 50,000 ethnic Serbs, who are backed by Belgrade.

Violence erupted in May after ethnic Albanian mayors took office following a local election boycotted by Serbs demanding implementation of a decade-old deal for more autonomy. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic soon placed his army on combat alert and moved units closer to the border with Kosovo.

Kosovo aims to join NATO, but four of the alliance's members still do not recognize its independence.