Friday marks the 24th Anniversary of NATO air strikes on Yugoslavia to Stop Ethnic Cleansing of Albanians in Kosovo. We bring some of these moments in pictures.
On March 24th, 1999 the North Atlantic Alliance, NATO, launched airstrikes against the military police targets in the former Yugoslavia to halt ethnic cleansing of Kosovo Albanians.
The airstrikes began after the failure of talks in Rambouillet, France which led to the decision of Western countries and NATO to launch an air campaign against Serbian military targets.
After 78 days of attacks, the bombing ceased on June 10, 1999, with the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244.
On June 12, 1999, the deployment of some 50,000 troops from 36 countries began, of which 30,000 were from NATO countries.
View from the Grand hotel in Prishtina 24 March 1999 as NATO started with air strikes on Yugoslavia and relentless bombing rattled Belgrade, Kosovo’s capital Prishtina and many other cities and towns not only in Serbia but also in Montenegro.Photo: EPA/SASA STANKOVIC
AVIANO, ITALY: A NATO warplane takes off from the northern Italian NATO air base Aviano on Wednesday, 24 March 1999. Some 70 aircraft took off in successive waves on Wednesday evening to hit targets in Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo with air strikes. Photo: EPA PHOTO EPA/STRINGER
SKOPJE, MACEDONIA : An ethnic Albanian refugee woman from Kosovo sits with her two daughters waiting for registration in front of a refugee center in Skopje Wednesday 24 March 1999. Macedonia is concerned about the refugee problem from Kosovo and has called on the EU to provide humanitarian and economic aid to help the country handle the refugees. Photo: EPA PHOTO EPA/FEHIM DEMIR
TIRANA, ALBANIA : Albanians read news papers in Tirana, early Wednesday 24 March 1999, after NATO had given the order to start bombing Serb military targets after the failure of diplomatic efforts to bring peace to Kosovo. NATO Secretary General Javier Solana reassured Albanian Prime Minister Pandeli Majko Wednesday that the security of Albania “is of a direct and material concern” to the Alliance.
EPA PHOTO EPA/ARMANDO BABANI/
BELGRADE, SERBIA,(former YUGOSLAVIA) : Flames rise from an explosion of a NATO bomb dropped over Belgrade overnight Thursday 27 May 1999. The number of NATO bomb raids against Yugoslavia reached a new peak on Thursday with alliance warplanes mounting nearly 400 attack missions against targets in Kosovo and throughout Serbia. EPA PHOTO/DEJAN TASIC
NOVI SAD, SERBIA: Overall view of the “Sloboda” (freedom) bridge connecting Novi Sad and Sremska Kamenica Sunday 04 April 1999, which was hit yesterday evening during NATO air strikes over Yugoslavia.
Photo: EPA-PHOTO/EPA/DMITRI KHRUPOV/STR
BELGRADE, SERBIA, (former YUGOSLAVIA): The night sky over Serbia is lit up by Yugoslav army anti-aircraft fire during the latest NATO air strikes on the city late Wednesday 14 April 1999.
Photo: EPA-PHOTO/EPA/MILOS BICANSKI
VELIKI CRLJENI; YUGOSLAVIA: Damages at the Kolubara power plant in the city of Veliki Crljeni, 40km south of Belgrade, after last night’s NATO air strikes on the plant, Saturday 22 May 1999. NATO warplanes blacked out parts of Serbias overnight in the heaviest 24 hours of air strikes since the alliance launched its bombing campaign. It was the fourth major attack by NATO on electricity supplies in the two-month conflict. Photo: EPA-PHOTO/EPA/MATJIA KOKOVIC/STR/
PRILIKE, SERBIA (former YUGOSLAVIA) – The damage is clearly visible at the satellite communications centre ‘Yugoslavia’ in the village of Prilike, some 170km south-west from Belgrade, Tuesday, 13 April 1999. The communications centre was destroyed by a NATO air raid bomb early today. The center was used for telephone communications with Europe, South America and Asia.
PHOTO: EPA-PHOTO/EPA/STRINGER
BELGRADE, SERBIA, (former YUGOSLAVIA) : 5 June, 1999. A woman reads the Vreme daily newspaper displaying on the front page the headline “OVER”, referring to Belgrade’s approval of the G 8 peace plan for Kosovo, as negotiations resumed today between NATO and Yugoslav army delegations at the Macedonian military air base of Kumanovo on a withdrawal of Yugoslav troops from Kosovo.
EPA-PHOTO/EPA/BRANKO PANTELIC/STR