The COMKFOR’s „Eyes and Ears”
Szöveg: László Szűcs | 2012. december 1. 9:00They have the primary mission of keeping contact with the local public figures. Additionally, they often stop people on the street to ask their opinion about the country’s security or economic situation. They form a special KFOR “unit”, the Liaison Monitoring Team (LMT). Reporting from the spot.
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“The COMKFOR’s eyes and ears" – this is how the LTM’s activity is usually defined by the soldiers of the Hungarian Liaison Monitoring Team who are assigned to the HDF KFOR Contingent but directly assist the work of the commander of the Kosovo Force.
On Thursday, November 22 the Hungarian journalists staying in Kosovo on a tour organized by the Ministry of Defence Press Office had a chance to see an “average weekday" of the Hungarian LMT which executes its tasks in Podujevo Municipality.
On this day, the Hungarian soldiers visited a primary school in the area of responsibility (AOR), to distribute among the schoolchildren the 4U Magazine, which is KFOR’s youth journal published in Albanian and English.
Lt. Dávid Vogel, the second-in-command of the Hungarian LMT told us that both the students and their teachers are very happy to receive the monthly. The students are happy because they can find topics in the journal that are popular with the youth of today in Kosovo. The teachers are happy too, because they can teach the children English with the help of the magazine.
“KFOR considers it very important to be able to reach out to the 12-18 age group, as they are the next generation", the lieutenant revealed, and he also told us that the editors of the journal are going to give a big party in December to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the journal’s launch. They have invited many students from Kosovo to the ceremony, which is to be held at the KFOR Headquarters.
The municipality whose center is Podujevo is the second largest municipality in the country, and has 34 primary as well as four secondary schools in its area of responsibility, the second-in-command of the Hungarian Liaison Monitoring Team informed us. The LMTs’ another important mission is to cooperate with the village leaders, the local religious leaders and the authorities, in particular with the units of the Kosovo Police.
Capt. Isak Ejupi, the police chief of Podujevo also received the Hungarian journalists. He told us that he would meet Hungarian troops on a regular basis. He added that the Kosovo Police maintains good relations with the whole KFOR, but they have a “truly excellent relationship" with the Hungarian LMT.
Photo: Tünde Rácz
