By Corporal Sandesh Gurung, Media and Communications NCO HQ Brigade of Gurkhas
Personnel from Headquarters Brigade of Gurkhas travelled to Kosovo on Exercise BALKAN KHUKURI 26, a Battlefield Study led by Captain Michael Lymar and supported by Warrant Officer Class One Dewan Rai. The study examined the Kosovo Intervention and reflected on The First Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles’ 1999 deployment, focusing on leadership, mission command, Kaida and Kosovo’s complex history and culture.
Before departure, the team received briefs from Dr An Jacobs, Dr Edward Flint and Brigadier (Retired) Sean Crane, providing political context and first‑hand insight into 1 RGR’s role in Operation AGRICOLA. This was the British deployment which served as the UK land component of the broader NATO-led Kosovo Force. In Kosovo, the team based themselves at Camp Film City and explored Prishtina’s historic landmarks, supported by short historical presentations covering the 1389 Battle of Kosovo through to the conflicts of the 1990s.
Visits to Kačanik, Lipljan and Magura highlighted the areas where 1 RGR operated, illustrating the battalion’s transition from high‑readiness posture to spearheading invasion and later peace support operations. A visit to the Visoki Dečani Monastery reinforced the enduring significance of sites still protected by KFOR today.
The most emotional moment came at Orlat, where Lieutenant Gareth Evans and Sergeant Balaram Rai of 69 Gurkha Field Squadron lost their lives while clearing mines near a school. The team laid wreaths at the memorial plinth in their honour.
The study concluded with a review of original 1999 family memos and a helicopter flight offering a striking aerial view of Kosovo’s terrain. Exercise BALKAN KHUKURI 26 provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on 1 RGR’s deployment and deepen understanding of Kosovo’s operational and historical landscape.
HQBG team at Kačanik Defile, the strategic mountain pass secured by 1 RGR during the 1999 deployment.
The memorial pillar at Orlat, where the team laid wreaths in remembrance.
Major Dammarbahadur Shahi (left) and Major Anil Gurung (right) were briefly based at the school seen in the background during their 1999 deployment.
