ITALIAN soldiers arrived in Albania yesterday to spearhead a multinational force that aims to secure key harbours and Tirana's airport in the Balkan country racked by weeks of armed anarchy.
A first wave of 20 Italian troops on a transport ship marched on to a pier in the western port of Durres just after dawn. Four Lockheed C 130 Hercules aircraft carrying more than 50 paratroopers landed within hours at Tirana's airport (above).
The Italian troops were preparing the ground for a 6,000 strong force from six nations that is due to start arriving in Albania on Monday. Soldiers from France, Spain, Romania, Turkey and Greece are coming to Albania to help safeguard deliveries of emergency food and medical supplies.
"Our mission does not rule out risks, but we hope the Albanian people will understand that we are here to help them," said Col Enrico Nardi, commander of the Italian landing unit in Durres, 40 km (25 miles) west of Tirana.
More than 200 people have been killed since rebels took control of the south last month in an eruption of anger following the collapse of a number of pyramid savings schemes.