The Netherlands will withdraw peacekeeping mission from Bosnia by the end of October

The last Dutch peacekeepers in Bosnia will leave next month after a two-decade mission overshadowed by the massacre of thousands of Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica in 1995.

“We are ending the mission at the end of October when the largest part of our troops return home, except for about five officers committed to non-executive duties,” Defence Ministry spokesman Jos van der Leij said.

“The scaling down of our commitment in Bosnia comes with increased stability in the area and a shift in our own priorities where we are needed around the world,” he said.

The last 60 Dutch troops to leave at the end of October are part of the EU-run EUFOR operation in Bosnia comprising 1,500 troops from 21 countries.