The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) launched Operation ALLIED FORCE in response to Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic's campaign of ethnic cleansing of Kosovar Albanians.
Patients in the mental hospital during the war in Kosovo (Stimlje) were left to fend for themselves by the staff. 1999. Photo by Oleg Klimov
The KFOR (Kosovo Force) ground operation is a multinational peacekeeping mission led by NATO, launched in June 1999 after the air campaign against Milosevic's regime to ensure security and stability in Kosovo. The mission's main objectives include ensuring freedom of movement for all residents, disarming Kosovo Albanians, clearing the territory of mines, providing medical assistance and rebuilding infrastructure, as well as preventing clashes between Albanians and Serbs.
Irish soldiers (KFOR) in Pristina, Kosovo. Start of ground operations in Yugoslavia. June 1999. Photo by Oleg KlimovDetention and arrest of Pristina residents by NATO soldiers. Kosovo, June 1999. Photo by Oleg Klimov.The soldiers of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) that were active. While not a formal national army, Albanian forces were fighting against the Yugoslav Army in Kosovo in 1999, and the neighboring country of Albania deployed its army to its border with Kosovo in support. Pristina, Kosovo, June 1999. Photo by Oleg Klimov.Funeral of victims of the military conflict between Serbia and Kosovo. Near Pristina, Kosovo. June 1999. Photo by Oleg Klimov.
