| The Kosovo War |
|---|
| Prior to the NATO intervention |
|
Kosovo Liberation Army insurgency |
| NATO intervention |
| Other articles |
|
Legitimacy Other: Images |
Civilian casualties as a result of Operation Allied Force were significant. The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts in Kosovo: 1996–1999 The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA ( Albanian: Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës or UÇK) was a Kosovar Albanian guerilla group which sought The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (code-named Operation Allied Force) was NATO 's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that Civilian casualties as a result of Operation Allied Force were significant The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia took place during the Kosovo War. Humanitarian bombing is a Phrase referring to the 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( 24 March – 10 June 1999 The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (code-named Operation Allied Force) was NATO 's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that Many of the people killed in the NATO airstrikes were widely reported to be civilians, both Serbs and Albanians. The North Atlantic Treaty Serbs ( Serbian: Срби Srbi) are a South Slavic people living in the Balkans and Central Europe, mainly in Serbia, } Albanians (Shqiptarët are an Ethnic group and a Nation, in the sense of sharing a common Albanian culture speaking the Albanian language Human Rights Watch confirmed ninety incidents in which civilians died as a result of NATO bombing. Human Rights Watch is a United States -based international Non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on Human rights. It reported that as few as 489 and as many as 528 Yugoslav civilians were killed in the ninety separate incidents in Operation Allied Force. [1]
Incidents
April 5, 1999: Bombing of Aleksinac
The 13th night of air strikes included the first major NATO mistake when an attack on a barracks on the southern mining town of Aleksinac resulted in missiles striking a residential area. Aleksinac (Алексинац is a town which is center of Municipality of Aleksinac, located in the Nišava District of Serbia. Aleksinac (Алексинац is a town which is center of Municipality of Aleksinac, located in the Nišava District of Serbia. Serb TV reported at least five dead and at least another 30 injured when the three missiles fell 600 m short of their target. The missiles struck apartments, an "emergency centre" and a medical dispensary, TV reports said. Commenting on the incident, Air Commodore David Wilby of Nato said "It is possible that one of our weapons fell short of the target. [2]
April 12, 1999: Grdelica train bombing
NATO's attack on a railway bridge hit a passenger train, killing 14 and leaving 16 injured. See also Civilian casualties inflicted during Operation Allied Force The Grdelica train bombing occurred on April 12, The Belgrade-Thessaloniki train had been crossing the bridge near Leskovac, southern Serbia as the air-launched missile released several miles away reached its target. Belgrade (Београд Beograd is the Capital and largest city of Serbia. Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη), Thessalonica, or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia Leskovac ( Serbian Cyrillic: Лесковац Leskofça is a city and municipality located in southern Serbia at 43
April 14, 1999: Bombing of a refugee column
On April 14, during daylight hours, NATO aircraft repeatedly bombed refugee movements over a twelve-mile (19 km) stretch of road between Đakovica and Dečani in western Kosovo, killing seventy-three civilians and injuring thirty-six-deaths Human Rights Watch could document. See also Targeting of civilian areas during Operation Allied Force The NATO bombing of Albanian refugees near Đakovica occurred on April 14, 1999 Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Đakovica, Djakovica or Gjakova ( Albanian: Gjakova or Gjakovë; Dečani ( Albanian: Deçan or Deçani; Serbian: Дечани Dečani) is a town in the Đakovica district of western The attack began at 1:30 p. m. and persisted for about two hours, causing civilian deaths in numerous locations on the convoy route near the villages of Bistrazin, Gradis, Madanaj, and Meja.
April 23, 1999: Serb Radio and Television headquarters bombing
One of the largest incidents of civilian deaths, and certainly the largest in Belgrade, was the bombing of state Serb Radio and Television (RTS) headquarters in Belgrade on April 23. See also Civilian casualties inflicted during Operation Allied Force The NATO bombing of the Serb Radio and Television headquarters occurred on April 23 1999 As a consequence, sixteen RTS civilian technicians and workers were killed and sixteen were wounded.
April 27, 1999: First Bombing of Surdulica
At least 16 civilians were killed after two NATO missiles hit a residential area in the southern town of Surdulica. Surdulica ( Serbian Cyrillic: Сурдулица is a town and municipality situated in the southeast of Serbia (approx [1]
May 1, 1999: Bombing of a civilian bus
At least 23 people died when a NATO missile aimed at the Lužane bridge north of Priština hit a passenger bus. See also Civilian casualties inflicted during Operation Allied Force The Lužane bus bombing occurred on May 1, 1999, when NATO missiles
May 7, 1999: Cluster bombing of Niš
NATO confirmed that a cluster bomb aimed at an airfield in the Yugoslav city of Niš hit a hospital and a market, killing 14 civilians. See also Civilian casualties inflicted during Operation Allied Force The Cluster bombing of Niš was an event that occurred on May 7, Cluster munitions or cluster bombs are air-dropped or ground-launched munitions that eject a number of smaller submunitions a cluster of bomblets Local officials said that a further 60 people were injured in the daylight attack which left unexploded cluster bombs lying in gardens.
May 7, 1999: Chinese embassy bombing
The U. See also Targeting of civilian areas during Operation Allied Force On May 7 1999 in Operation Allied Force, NATO bombs hit the S. admitted that an out-of-date map used by its intelligence operations had led NATO to mistakenly launch missiles at the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, killing three people, injuring a further 20. NATO said that the intended target had been the Yugoslav Federal directorate of Supply and Procurement 300 yards (270 m) away.
May 14, 1999: Bombing of Koriša
At least 100 civilians died after NATO bombed what it said were "legitimate military targets" in the village of Korisa, southern Kosovo. See also Civilian casualties inflicted during Operation Allied Force The NATO bombing of Albanian refugees near Korisa occurred on May 14, 1999 Footage broadcast by Serbian TV showed charred remains, including at least two children, smouldering homes and burning tractors.
May 19, 1999: Belgrade hospital struck
A Nato bombing attack led to the deaths of at least three patients in a Belgrade hospital. Parts of the Dragiša Mišović hospital, near a barracks in the Dedinje district, were reduced to rubble. Dedinje ( Serbian Cyrillic: Дедиње is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Nato admitted a missile aimed at an army barracks in the Dedinje district, which is close to the hospital, went astray. [3]
May 30, 1999: Bombing of Varvarin
11 civilians were reported killed and a further 40 injured when Nato bombers mounted a daylight raid on a bridge in Varvarin, south-central Serbia. Varvarin (Варварин is a small town and municipality in the Šumadija region of central Serbia. Yugoslav sources said local people were attending the town's market when the attack happened at 1pm local time. Witnesses said four cars fell into the Velika Morava river. The Velika Morava or Great Morava ( Serbian Cyrillic: Велика Морава) is a final section of the Morava (Cyrillic Морава Rescuers who went to aid of the injured were hit in the second attack.
A first-hand account of what happened was published in the Irish Times. One of their reporters visited the village shortly after the bombing. Photos of the "military target" and the civilian casualties are available at http://www.nato-tribunal.de/varvarin/photo_documentation.htm
Nato spokesman Jamie Shea said the alliance had bombed a "legitimate designated military target". [4]
May 30, 1999: Second Bombing of Surdulica
Nato planes have hit an old people's home at a sanatorium in south-eastern Serbia killing at least 11 people, according to the Yugoslav media. The reports said the attack on Surdulica was the second time that Nato had hit civilian targets in the town.
Officials say the town was hit by four bombs at around midnight, two of which landed on the old people's home. Another building in the grounds of the sanatorium was also destroyed. [5]
May 31, 1999: Bombing of Novi Pazar
At least 10 people were killed and 20 injured in a Nato missile attack on an apartment building in Novi Pazar, southwest Serbia. For the town in Bulgaria see Novi Pazar Bulgaria. Novi Pazar ( Serbian: Нови Пазар [6]
NATO strategy and claims
From the very beginning of Operation Allied Force, minimizing civilian casualties was a major declared NATO concern. According to NATO, consideration of civilian casualties was fully incorporated into the planning and targeting process. All targets were "looked at in terms of their military significance in relation to the collateral damage or the unintended consequence that might be there," General Shelton said on April 14: "Then every precaution is made. Unintended consequences are outcomes that are not (or not limited to what the actor intended in a particular situation Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in . . so that collateral damage is avoided. " According to Lt. Gen. Michael Short, "collateral damage drove us to an extraordinary degree. General Clark committed hours of his day dealing with the allies on issues of collateral damage. " [7]
Then-NATO spokesman Jamie Shea said "There is always a cost to defeat an evil," he said. Jamie Patrick Shea is Director of Policy Planning in the Private Office of the Secretary General at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. "It never comes free, unfortunately. But the cost of failure to defeat a great evil is far higher. " He insisted NATO planes had bombed only "legitimate designated military targets" and if more civilians had died it was because NATO had been forced into military action. [8]
Human Rights Watch analysis
Because of keen public interest in the civilian toll from Operation Allied Force, Human Rights Watch assumed a major undertaking to document and evaluate the impact and effects of the NATO military operation.
Human Rights Watch confirmed ninety incidents in which civilians died as a result of NATO bombing. The field mission visited forty-two of the ninety confirmed incident locations and collected primary source information on thirty other incidents. Sufficient corroborating information existed on twenty-two others to recognize their credibility (including five in which NATO has officially confirmed that it attacked nearby targets at the same time). Eight additional reported and claimed incidents have been eliminated altogether, three because they could not be verified or there was little corroborative reporting, and five because the reported deaths are actually presumed to be paramilitary policemen or soldiers. [9]
It concluded that as few as 489 and as many as 528 civilians were killed in the ninety separate incidents in Operation Allied Force. Between 62 and 66 percent of the total registered civilian deaths occurred in just twelve incidents. These twelve incidents accounted for from 303 to 352 civilian deaths. These were the only incidents among the ninety documented in which ten or more civilian deaths were confirmed. Almost half of the incidents resulted from attacks during daylight hours, when civilians could have been expected to be on the roads and bridges or in public buildings which may have been targeted. [10]
Cluster bombs use controversy
There were seven confirmed and five likely incidents involving civilian deaths from cluster bomb use by the United States and Britain. Cluster munitions or cluster bombs are air-dropped or ground-launched munitions that eject a number of smaller submunitions a cluster of bomblets The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Altogether, some ninety to 150 civilians died from cluster bomb use.
The most serious incident involving civilian deaths and the use of cluster bombs occurred on May 7, during the Cluster bombing of Niš. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses See also Civilian casualties inflicted during Operation Allied Force The Cluster bombing of Niš was an event that occurred on May 7, The mid-day attack on Niš airfield, which is located inside the urban zone, killed fourteen civilians and injured twenty-eight.
After the incident in Niš, the White House quietly issued a directive to the Pentagon to restrict cluster bomb use (at least by U. See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence The Pentagon is the Headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. S. forces). Human Rights Watch considered that to have been the right move, but was concerned, given those risks, that cluster bombs were being used in attacks on urban targets in the first place. The mid-May prohibition against the further use of cluster bombs clearly had an impact on the level of civilian deaths as the war continued, particularly as bombing with unguided weapons (which would otherwise include cluster bombs) significantly intensified towards the end of the month. Nevertheless, the Royal Air Force continued to drop cluster bombs (official chronologies show use at least on May 17, May 31, June 3, and June 4), indicating the need for universal, not national, norms regarding cluster bomb use. [11]
Notes
- ^ Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign - The Crisis in Kosovo
- ^ BBC News | Europe | Nato: 'Heaviest bombings yet'
- ^ BBC News | Europe | Nato bomb hits hospital
- ^ BBC News | Europe | Civilian deaths 'necessary price'
- ^ BBC News | Europe | Nato 'hit old people's home'
- ^ BBC News | Europe | Nato 'bombs apartment block'
- ^ Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign - The Crisis in Kosovo
- ^ BBC News | Europe | Civilian deaths 'necessary price'
- ^ Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign - The Crisis in Kosovo
- ^ Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign - The Crisis in Kosovo
- ^ Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign - The Crisis in Kosovo
External links
- Nato's bombing blunders (BBC)
- Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign - The Crisis in Kosovo (HRW)
- List Of Incidents Involving Civilian Deaths in Operation Allied Force (HRW)
- SELECT CHRONOLOGY OF NATO ATTACKS, MARCH 24-MAY 7, 1999 (HRW)
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic