Today marks 26 years since the withdrawal of Serbian military and paramilitary forces from Kosovo, signaling the official end of Serbian occupation.
The Serbian army capitulated after facing a sustained campaign by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) on the ground and relentless NATO bombings from the air. This pressure ultimately led to the signing of the Kumanovo Agreement on June 9, 1999.
The agreement was signed by Michael Jackson, the first KFOR Commander in Kosovo, and the former Chief of Staff of the Serbian Army, General Nebojša Pavković, who was later indicted by The Hague for war crimes in Kosovo.
NATO Intervention and UNMIK’s Role
The NATO airstrikes, which lasted for 78 days, ceased on June 10. This came after the then-Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, General Wesley Clark, reported to the North Atlantic Council that the aerial campaign had successfully compelled Serbian military and paramilitary forces to begin their full withdrawal from Kosovo.
With NATO’s entry, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) was established. This temporary UN mission would administer Kosovo until the Declaration of Independence on February 17, 2008.
