KFOR spokesperson Uwe Nowitzki confirmed on Saturday that additional troops would soon be deployed in Kosovo.

The second battalion of the operational reserve force has been activated and will soon be deployed in Kosovo, he told Tanjug.

The new troops are part of wise planning and positioning meant to ensure KFOR has the necessary troops to accomplish its task in Kosovo, Nowitzki pointed out.

KFOR's task is to maintain a secure environment for all people in Kosovo in an impartial way, he stated, adding that it had done so for over 10 years and would continue in the same fashion.

The German military said earlier on Saturday it would send its rapid reaction forces numbering several hundred soldiers to Kosovo in order to strengthen the NATO mission there amid rising tensions leading up to Serbia's elections on May 6.

Sutanovac: KFOR represents only factor of stability in Kosovo

Serbia's Defence Minister Dragan Sutanovac said on Saturday KFOR was the only factor of stability in Kosovo and that the situation there would be a lot less stable if those troops were not present.

The Defence Ministry is in contact with KFOR on a daily basis, he noted, adding he spoke several days earlier with the commander of NATO's south wing about the security situation.