Today marks the 26th anniversary of NATO’s airstrikes on military and police targets in the former Yugoslavia.
The attacks began at 19:45, when NATO aircraft dropped the first bombs on strategic positions of the Yugoslav army.
The order to start the bombing campaign was given by the President of the United States, Bill Clinton.
That night, he delivered a historic speech to the American people, announcing that he had ordered the Atlantic Alliance to begin the military operation, as the only option to end the fighting in Kosovo.
After 78 days of airstrikes, the bombings were halted on June 10, 1999, with the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
NATO’s intervention in Kosovo also facilitated the return of more than 800,000 refugees and displaced persons to their homes, both within and outside of Kosovo.
On June 12, 1999, the deployment of approximately 50,000 soldiers from 36 countries began, 30,000 of whom were from NATO countries.
