Timeline of the Kosovo War

Timeline of the Kosovo War. Abbreviations:

Combatants

• KLA—Kosovo Liberation Army
• FARK—Armed Forces of the Republic of Kosovo
• VJ—Yugoslav Army
• NATO—North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Peace-keeping forces

• KFOR—Kosovo Force (NATO)

Organizations

• ICTY—International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (UN)
• IICK—Independent International Commission on Kosovo
• KDOM—Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission

Background

1981

Date	Event
11 March	1981 protests in Kosovo: Student protest starts at the University of Pristina
1 April	Between 5,000 and 25,000 demonstrators of Albanian nationality call for SAP Kosovo to become a constituent republic inside Yugoslavia, as opposed to an autonomous province of Serbia.
2 April	Presidency sends special forces to stop the demonstrations and declares a state of emergency in regards to Kosovo. State of emergency lasts 7 days.
3 April	End of demonstrations during which 9 people are killed and more than 250 injured.

1996

Date	Event
27 october	A Serbian police inspector and a Serbian policeman were killed by the KLA in an ambush in the village of Surkis in Podujeva
21 April	Kosovo Albanian student Armend Daci was shot by a Serb civilian sniper in Sunny Hill, Prishtina.
25 April	Three KLA members shoot in Restaurant Çakor in Deçan and kill three people.

1998

• 28 February: Firefight in Likošane. 4 Yugoslav policemen killed in an ambush by KLA.
• 28 February: Serbian police killed 14 Albanians of the Ahmeti family.
• 5 March: 4 Yugoslav policemen killed in an ambush by KLA in Prekaz.
• 5–7 March: Attack on Prekaz. Yugoslav victory. 28 militants and 30 civilians killed by VJ.
• 7-10 March: Battle of Llapushnik KLA victory.
• 24 March: First Battle of Glodjane KLA victory.
• 23 April: Albanian–Yugoslav border clashes. Yugoslav victory. 18 militants killed by VJ.
• 8 May: Yugoslav Police attack a civilian van in Dečan. 1 civilian dead and 4 civilians injured.
• 25 May and 1 April: Ljubenić massacres.
• 15 june: In an ambush by the KLA,2 Serbian police officers were killed and 7 other were wounded,5 of them were VJ soldiers.
• 22 June–1 July: Battle of Belaćevac Mine. Yugoslav victory.
• 18 July: Albanian–Yugoslav border clashes. Yugoslav victory.
• 25–26 July: KLA abandonment of the Lapušnik prison camp. 23 of 35 inmates killed by KLA.
• 6 July–17 July: First Battle of Lođa. KLA victory.
• 17–20 July Battle of Orahovac. Yugoslav victory.
• 28 July–17 August: Battle of Junik. Yugoslav victory.
• 9 August: Opljaz clashes. KLA victory, 20 Yugoslav soldiers killed by the KLA.
• 1-30 August: 17 Yugoslav policemen killed in attacks by KLA in the Drenica valley.
• 10 August–17 August: Second Battle of Lođa. Yugoslav victory.
• 11–12 August: Second Battle of Glodjane Yugoslav victory.
• 9 September: Lake Radonjić massacre.
• 15 September: Đeravica clashes. KLA victory, 40 Yugoslav soldiers killed and 20 wounded.
• 30 September: Operation Fenix. KLA victory.
• 26 and 29 September: Gornje Obrinje massacre.
• 3 December: Albanian–Yugoslav border clash. Yugoslav victory.
• 14 December: Albanian–Yugoslav border clashes. Yugoslav victory.
• 14 December: Panda Bar massacre.
• 23–27 December: Battle of Podujevo. Yugoslav victory.

1999

• 8 and 10 January: 4 Yugoslav policemen killed by KLA near Uroševac.
• Račak massacre.
• NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, Operation Allied Force.
• F-117A shoot-down.
• Bombing of Novi Sad.
• Bela Crkva massacre.
• Velika Kruša massacre.
• Suva Reka massacre.
• Izbica massacre.
• Drenica massacres.
• 13 April: Albania–Yugoslav border incident. Status quo ante bellum. Albanian Army retakes control.
• Battle of Košare. KLA forces captured the border outpost of Košare between FR Yugoslavia and Albania, but were unable to make further advances.
• 21 April: 6 Yugoslav policemen killed in an ambush by KLA near Meja.
• Meja massacre.
• April: 2 Yugoslav policemen killed in an ambush by KLA near Vučitrn.
• Vučitrn massacre.
• Grdelica train bombing.
• 12 May: KLA forces attack VJ transport truck and burn it with soldiers inside, Vneshte 1999.
• 19-20 May: 14 Yugoslav special forces killed in an ambush by KLA near Junik.
• 26 May: 2 Yugoslav policemen killed in an ambush by KLA in Tusus
• 26 May: Tusus massacre. Serbian police kills 27 Albanian civilians.
• NATO bombing of Albanian refugees near Gjakova.
• NATO bombing of the Radio Television of Serbia headquarters.
• NATO bombing of Belgrade streets.
• Lužane bus bombing.
• Cluster bombing of Niš.
• United States bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.
• Koriša bombing.
• Ćuška massacre.
• Battle of Pashtrik. KLA forces capture Mount Paštrik, but are unable to make further advances

Further reading

• Tim Judah (2002). Kosovo: War and Revenge. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-09725-2.