Multinational Specialized Unit
The Multinational Specialized Unit (MSU), is a unit of the Italian Carabinieri, dedicated to the military missions abroad, including the military and civilian police tasks, peacekeeping operations, crowd and riot control.
KFOR-MSU Carabinieri with two RG-12 during a crowd and riot control exercise in Kosovo.(2019).
Romanian Military Policeman, member of MSU, in Iraq. (2003).
Carabinieri KFOR-MSU patrol in Mitrovica, Kosovo. (2018).
Austrian MSU Pandur I near the Ibar Bridge, in Mitrovica, Kosovo. (2011).
The Carabinieri are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign policing duties. It is one of Italy's main law enforcement agencies, alongside the Polizia di Stato and the Guardia di Finanza. As with the Guardia di Finanza but in contrast to the Polizia di Stato, the Carabinieri are a military force. As the fourth branch of the Italian Armed Forces, they come under the authority of the Ministry of Defence; for activities related to inland public order and security, they functionally depend on the Ministry of the Interior. In practice, there is a significant overlap between the jurisdiction of the Polizia di Stato and Carabinieri, although both of them are contactable through 112, the European Union's Single Emergency number. Unlike the Polizia di Stato, the Carabinieri have responsibility for policing the military, and a number of members regularly participate in military missions abroad.
Photo of a carabiniere around 1875. The 'Medal of Italian Independence' is worn, indicating a veteran of the Risorgimento (The Wars for Italian Unification).
Carabinier's bicorne.
Alfa Romeo 159
Senior Carabinieri General in a VM 90 during the 2007 Republic Day parade in Italy