Army must cut Kosovo garrison to save money

THE Army is being forced to slash its garrison in Kosovo by 75 per cent as the MoD tries to stay within its budget, defence sources said yesterday.

The number of troops based there will be reduced from 5,000 to 1,200 as the British brigade is replaced by an Anglo-French battle group.

Britain is also trying to withdraw its 1,300 troops from Bosnia but is having difficulty finding a country prepared to take over.

The reduction in Britain's presence in the Balkans is the latest in a series of "salami-slicing" cuts caused by underfunding of the defence budget by about £500 million.