Proved their skills: 27 Hungarian troops injured in Kosovo

The Hungarian troops have proved their skills and that they can be trusted and counted on in every task they are assigned to perform on a mission either abroad or in their own country, the defence minister said on Tuesday, after the landing of the military aircraft carrying the 12 Hungarian soldiers injured in violent clashes in Kosovo.

“We have altogether 27 troops who have been injured,” Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky told journalists at Liszt Ferenc International Airport after conversing with those on board the plane. He said the troops had told him that “the incident lasted long and was very heavy”.

“The Hungarian battalion serving under an international Italian-US command was deployed at the site where they faced the protesters,” the minister said.

he troops serving in a KFOR mission were deployed to disperse the rioters in front of the town hall in Zvecan on Monday afternoon.

KFOR on Tuesday said that 30 of their troops including 19 Hungarians and 11 Italians have been injured in the clashes. Three Hungarians suffered wounds caused by shots and many of the others sustained burns or broken bones, KFOR said, adding that none of those injured are in a life-threatening condition.

After talking with the Hungarian troops who returned home with the plane, the defence minister said that those seriously injured were in a stable condition. After meeting their family members, all 19 troops will be taken to the Honvéd military hospital, he said.

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday morning that four Hungarian soldiers were treated with wounds caused by shrapnel, one of whom had to be operated on.

He said later in the morning that 15 Hungarian soldiers were treated in hospital.

A Hungarian army aircraft was dispatched to the region to take those injured home on Monday evening.