NATO bombing of Yugoslavia

Overview

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an agreement was reached that led to the withdrawal of the Yugoslav Army from Kosovo, and the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, a UN peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. The official NATO operation code name was Operation Allied Force whereas the United States called it Operation Noble Anvil ; in Yugoslavia, the operation was incorrectly called Merciful Angel, possibly as a result of a misunderstanding or mistranslation.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

NATO's aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ran from 24 March to 10 June 1999, constituting the alliance's primary coercive instrument in the Kosovo War. The campaign ended when an agreement was reached requiring the withdrawal of the Yugoslav Army from Kosovo and the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, a UN peacekeeping body. The operation marked a significant test of NATO's capacity to compel a sovereign state through air power alone, conducted without a UN Security Council mandate. Yugoslav forces numbered 114,000 against a NATO air contingent of 1,031, with Yugoslav casualties recorded at 2,013. The campaign was designated Operation Allied Force by NATO and Operation Noble Anvil by the United States; Yugoslav sources referred to it by the erroneous name Merciful Angel, attributed to mistranslation. Its outcome restructured the political and administrative status of Kosovo under international supervision.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (16)