Swedish soldiers pulled out of Bosnia
TT/The Local - [email protected]
Published: 25 Oct, 2007 CET.
Updated: Thu 25 Oct 2007 18:36 CET
Sweden is to withdraw its peacekeepers from Bosnia-Hercegovina next year, the country's military has announced.
The 24-strong Swedish unit is in Bosnia as part of the EU's elite Eufor force. They will have withdrawn from the country no later than 20th April.
Lieutenant Colonel Mikael Smedin said the withdrawal was a "political decision." He added that Bosnia still requires the presence of international troops, but in smaller numbers.
"The situation in Bosnia is relatively stable and secure now, and the need for military presence is not as great as it was before," he said.
More than 7,500 Swedes have participated in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia-Hercegovina since 1993. Bosnia declared itself independent following the collapse of Yugoslavia. A bloody civil war started in 1992, pitting the country's ethnic groups against each other.
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The 24-strong Swedish unit is in Bosnia as part of the EU's elite Eufor force. They will have withdrawn from the country no later than 20th April.
Lieutenant Colonel Mikael Smedin said the withdrawal was a "political decision." He added that Bosnia still requires the presence of international troops, but in smaller numbers.
"The situation in Bosnia is relatively stable and secure now, and the need for military presence is not as great as it was before," he said.
More than 7,500 Swedes have participated in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia-Hercegovina since 1993. Bosnia declared itself independent following the collapse of Yugoslavia. A bloody civil war started in 1992, pitting the country's ethnic groups against each other.
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