NATO Spokesperson Carmen Romero stated on Tuesday that the Alliance would reinforce its presence in Kosovo so that soldiers who have been in charge of protecting security ever since tension escalated last week could get some rest, the Associated Press reported from Brussels.

Officials of the Brussels-based NATO press service confirmed this information for Tanjug and noted that this request was submitted by KFOR Commander Erhard Buehler.

Replying to Tanjug's question as to the exact number of soldiers and their tasks, the press service said that it is a battalion-size unit but that the NATO cannot reveal information about the aims of its troops.

In an article published earlier, Reuters quoted KFOR spokesman Hans Dieter Wichter who said that forces in Kosovo called for additional troops to be sent to the territory after the violent escalation last week.

In a statement for AFP, Wichter said that new units should serve as reinforcement to already deployed troops.

We can control the situation in the north and we have a sufficient number of soldiers, the KFOR spokesperson said and added that this request was filed because NATO soldiers in the field need rest and not because they are incapable of controlling the situation.

According to the release on KFOR website, this mission under NATO's command currently has 9.743 soldiers in Kosovo-Metohija.