2 mars 2007, Deutcshe Welle. Today marks eight years since the start of NATO air strikes on Serbian targets, a decisive moment that led to the end of the war in Kosovo and paved the way toward freedom.
“We tried for months, even years, to find a political solution to these crises. And only when these efforts failed—because Milošević accepted none of them—did we decide to use force,” declared Javier Solana, then Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, shortly after the start of NATO air strikes against Serbian targets in Kosovo. The decision came as a consequence of Belgrade’s refusal to sign the agreement drafted by the international community at the Rambouillet Conference.
On March 24, 1999, when the Euro-Atlantic Alliance began its intervention, Serbian police and paramilitary forces launched a systematic campaign against the civilian population, killing hundreds of people and expelling thousands from their homes.
Citizens recount their experiences
Fatmir Nimani, a witness to these events, shares his personal experience.
“In a way, we knew that something would happen, because the joy was too great to be real. As a result, they carried out massacres against the Albanian population and expelled them, because they wanted to leave Kosovo ethnically Serbian. During the NATO bombings, I was in Albania. The Serbian occupier had forcibly expelled us, and we had no other option but to go to Albania and North Macedonia.”
Atifete Papuqi is another survivor of persecution:
“I experienced NATO’s intervention as a rescue from paramilitaries with masks and knives. We were waiting for salvation from someone!”
After 78 days of NATO air strikes aimed at preventing a humanitarian catastrophe, Serbian forces signed their capitulation.
“It was precisely through that 78-day intervention that a chance was given for life, freedom, and investment in the future of democracy in the new Kosovo,” says today the President of Kosovo, Fatmir Sejdiu.
Return of the displaced population
The NATO intervention was followed by the return of the displaced population to their homes.
At that time, refugee camps in North Macedonia, Albania, and Montenegro were emptied almost simultaneously. Columns of displaced Kosovars returned to their devastated homes. The nearly two-year war came to an end, and in June 1999, Kosovo was placed under United Nations administration.
In Kosovo, the commemoration of this anniversary continued this year as well, with homages paid at the graves of fallen fighters and visits to members of KFOR—two key factors in both the beginning and the end of the war for freedom and democracy in Kosovo. Representatives of Kosovo’s institutions and political parties described this date as the beginning of a new era for Kosovo. Meanwhile, President Fatmir Sejdiu, in his message, placed special emphasis on the historic role of President Ibrahim Rugova and his clear political vision.
“He understood what could happen and what was being planned for Kosovo. Therefore, he wanted Kosovo to have an intervention that would prevent the ominous plans aimed at erasing our existence. They came and remain with us in these major processes of building Kosovo.”
Eight years after the start of NATO bombings against Serbian forces in Kosovo, and thanks to the comprehensive engagement of local and international structures, the proposal of the international chief negotiator Martti Ahtisaari for supervised independence for Kosovo is now in the hands of the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, more than 17,000 NATO-led troops continue to ensure the security of the people of Kosovo.
Ajetë Beqiraj, DW
© Copyright Notice
© 2006–2026 Ajetë Shaban Beqiraj. All rights reserved.
This article is an original journalistic work first broadcast on Deutsche Welle and later adapted for digital publication.
Any reproduction, redistribution, translation, or use of this material—whether in full or in part—without prior written permission from the author is strictly prohibited, except for brief quotations with proper attribution.
Unauthorized use may result in legal action.