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Civilian casualties during Operation Allied Force

February 25, 2023

Many human rights groups criticised civilian casualties resulting from military actions of NATO forces in Operation Allied Force. Both Serbs and Albanians were killed in 90 Human Rights Watch-confirmed incidents in which civilians died as a result of NATO bombing. It reported that as few as 489 and as many as 528 Yugoslav civilians were killed in the NATO airstrikes. Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, criticized NATO's decision to bomb civilian infrastructure in the war. "Once it made the decision to attack Yugoslavia, NATO should have done more to protect civilians," Roth remarked. "All too often, NATO targeting subjected the civilian population to unacceptable risks". Yugoslav government estimated that no fewer than 1,200 civilians and up to 2,500 civilians were killed and 5,000 wounded as a result of NATO airstrikes.[1][2]

From the beginning of Operation Allied Force, NATO pledged to minimise civilian casualties. Consideration of civilian casualties was incorporated into NATO's planning and targeting process. Targets were "looked at in terms of their military significance in relation to the collateral damage or the unintended consequence that might be there", according to General Henry Shelton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[3] Critics of the campaign have suggested that incidents were the inevitable result of NATO's policy of restricting its pilots to bombing from 15,000 feet or above for the sake of avoiding NATO deaths.[4]

Incidents

 
Damage in Novi Sad
 
Destroyed Varadin Bridge

March 30, 1999: Bombing of Čačak

On March 30, 1999, during a two-day air raid on the Sloboda munitions plant in Čačak, Mileva Kuveljić was killed in her home outside of the factory from airstrikes.[5] According to a local historian, Goran Davidović, another person injured by that day's airstrikes died a month later.[5]

April 1–2, 1999: Airstrikes in Novi Sad, Orahovac

On April 1, 1999 at 5:05 am local time, the Varadin Bridge in Novi Sad was destroyed by NATO projectiles, killing a 29-year old NIS refinery worker Oleg Nasov.[6] The following day, 11 civilians were killed after the village of Nogovac in Orahovac was struck by three missiles.[7]: 39 

April 4–6, 1999: Bombings in Belgrade, Pančevo, Aleksinac, and Vranje

On April 4, 1999, three workers were killed when the oil refinery in Pančevo was hit by NATO airstrikes.[8] Subsequently, 80,000 tons of oil ignited into flames, and the concentration of carcinogens over Pančevo rose 10,500 times higher than local laws allowed at the time.[9] On the same day, one civilian was killed after airstrikes struck electric heating plants in Belgrade.[10]

 
Damage in Aleksinac

On April 5, 1999, a neighborhood in Vranje was bombed, killing two civilians and injuring 15.[11] On the night of April 5–6, 1999, 12 civilians were killed in the southern mining town of Aleksinac after it was struck by NATO forces.[12] A total of 35 homes and 125 apartment units were destroyed, with no obvious military target in the vicinity according to the Serbian newspaper Politika.[12]

April 12, 1999: Bombing in southern Serbia

Main article: Grdelica train bombing
 
Railway bridge and monument to victims of the Grdelica train bombing
 
A monument to the children killed in the NATO bombing located in Tašmajdan Park, Belgrade, featuring a bronze sculpture of Milica Rakić

On April 12, 1999, NATO airstrikes struck a railway bridge in Grdelica, hitting a passenger train on the Niš - Preševo line. According to Večernje Novosti, 15 of the killed civilians were identified, a large number of passengers were classified as "missing".[13] The Leskovac city board forbade medical workers and doctors to give information to journalists on collected remains of killed civilians, preventing a more complete record of civilian casualties from taking place.[14] Human Rights Watch listed the names of 12 passengers killed in Grdelica, although reported that 20 civilians were killed in total.[15] Yugoslavia's Tanjug reported about 50 passengers killed,[15] whereas the Belgrade government recorded 55.[16] In a commemorative gathering held on April 12, 2017, Miodrag Poledica, Serbia's Minister of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure, asserted that "the exact number of those killed was never determined, but it's assumed that there were more than fifty."[17]

In a separate bombing on the same day, six civilians were killed in Merdare from NATO airstrikes on the border of Kuršumlija and Podujevo.[11]

April 14, 1999: First bombing of a refugee column

Main article: NATO bombing of Albanian refugees near Đakovica

On April 14, during daylight hours, NATO aircraft repeatedly bombed Albanian refugee movements over a twelve-mile (19 km) stretch of road between Gjakova and Dečani in western Kosovo, killing seventy-three civilians and injuring thirty-six others Human Rights Watch (HRW) could document. The attack began at 1:29pm 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 21, 1999: Second bombing of refugee camp

On April 21, 1999, a Serbian refugee camp in Majino Naselje of Gjakova was struck by heavy airstrikes.[18] The Los Angeles Times reported that four civilians were killed,[18] however a Belgrade-based bulletin listed the names of five individuals who were killed in the attack.[19] NATO spokesman Mike Phillips denied that NATO was responsible for the bombing of Majino Naselje.[18]

April 23, 1999: Radio Television Serbia (RTS) headquarters bombing

Main article: NATO bombing of the Radio Television of Serbia headquarters
 
The damaged headquarters of the Radio Television of Serbia

One of the largest incidents of civilian deaths, and certainly the largest in Belgrade, was the bombing of state TV headquarters in Belgrade on April 23. As a consequence, sixteen RTS civilian technicians and workers were killed and sixteen were wounded. Dragoljub Milanovic was the director general of Serbian Radio and Television and belonged to former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia. He was found guilty and jailed for 10 years for intentional withholding information from his employees about the eventual bombing, which had a direct effect on the number of dead.[20]

April 27, 1999: First bombing of Surdulica

On April 27, 1999, NATO missiles struck several houses in the southern town of Surdulica. A CNN journalist named Alessio Vinci subsequently visited the local morgue, where he reported 16 civilians killed as a result of the attack.[21] One of Serbia's public broadcasters, RTS, reported that 20 civilians were killed in Surdulica on April 27, 1999.[22] Many of the victims had been killed in a single house on Zmaj Jova street,1 owned by Vojislav Milić.[23] Milić's family and several neighbors took refuge in Milić's basement when his house was struck by two bombs, after which nine people were killed in his house alone.[23]

April 29–May 1, 1999: Bombings in Montenegro and Kosovo

Main article: Lužane bus bombing
 
Monument to the victims in Murino, near Plav

On April 29, 1999, one woman was killed and three more people were injured from shrapnel during the bombing of Tuzi.[24] On April 30, 1999, NATO bombs struck Murino, a village located near Plav, killing six civilians of whom three were under the age of 16.[25]

On May 1, 1999, a Niš-Ekspres bus taking passengers to Kosovo was hit by NATO missiles when it crossed a bridge in the village of Lužane near Podujevo.2 The number of casualties reported from the Niš-Ekspres bombing vary, with Human Rights Watch recording 39 civilians killed[15] whereas the Minister of Health Leposava Milićević reported that 47 civilians killed in the bus bombing had been identified.[15][26]

In a separate attack, also on May 1, 1999, at least 12 civilians were killed when a Romani neighborhood in Prizren was struck by NATO bombs.[27]

May 4, 1999: Bus bombing in Savine Vode

On May 4, 1999, a bus was destroyed in the village of Savine Vode near Peć, with 17 civilian deaths.[28] NATO denied responsibility,[29] however a remnant of a bomb found in Savine Vode after the attack had the markings of Magnavox, an American electronics manufacturer.[28] The Yugoslav government submitted further evidence to Human Rights Watch, after which Human Rights Watch counted the casualties as those inflicted by NATO.[15]

May 7, 1999

Cluster bombing of Niš

Main article: Cluster bombing of Niš
 
Monument to victims of the bombing Niš

On May 7, 1999, cluster munitions were dropped on Niš.[30] Human Rights Watch recorded 14 civilians killed[15] whereas Serbian sources reported 16 civilians killed.[31]

Chinese embassy bombing

Main article: US bombing of the People's Republic of China embassy in Belgrade

A salvo of US JDAM GPS-guided bombs struck the embassy of the People's Republic of China in Belgrade, killing three Chinese diplomats and injuring 20 others. CIA director George Tenet later admitted in congressional testimony that the CIA had organised the strike and that it was the only strike of the campaign organised by his agency, though he still claimed it was accidental. China has never accepted the US explanation for the incident.

May 14, 1999: Bombing of Koriša

Main article: Koriša bombing

Starting before midnight and lasting into the morning hours of May 14, 1999, NATO planes bombed the village of Koriša in Kosovo, where Albanian peasants were seeking refuge in a convoy.[32] Sources vary between 77[33] and 87 killed.[32][34] Survivors of the attack claimed that they had been set up by the Yugoslav police, who led them to the supply depot which was bombed that night.[34][35] The Yugoslav police had led the refugees to the depot promising them refuge and passage to Albania, although the survivors claimed that the police asked for money and made threats before escorting them.[34] After the bombing of Koriša, Yugoslav troops took TV crews to the scene shortly after the bombing.[36] The Yugoslav government insisted that NATO had targeted civilians.[37]

May 19–21, 1999: Bombings in Dedinje, Gnjilane, and the Dubrava prison massacre

Gnjilane

At approximately 10:20 am local time on May 19, 1999, a small industrial area in Gnjilane was struck by NATO airstrikes, immediately killing three women who were working at the agricultural firm "Mladost".[38] A man working for "Binačka Morava" initially survived the airstrikes, but died of his injuries the same day.[38] Glas javnosti published the names of all four workers killed in Gnjilane that day.[38]

Dragiša Mišović hospital bombing

At approximately 12:50 am local time on May 19, 1999, the University Hospital Center Dr Dragiša Mišović in Belgrade was destroyed by NATO laser-guided bombs.[39] RTS listed the names of three patients killed.[40] Seven soldiers of the Yugoslav Army were also killed in the hospital, although their names were listed separately from those of the three patients.[40] NATO admitted that a missile was aimed at barracks in the Dedinje district, which is close to the hospital, went astray.[39][41]

Dubrava prison massacre

Main article: Dubrava Prison bombings and executions

Starting on May 19, 1999, NATO forces bombed the town of Istok, killing three prisoners and a prison guard that day.[15] Two days later, NATO forces struck the prison complex again, with at least 19 prisoners being killed from the airstrikes, according to Human Rights Watch.[15] Subsequent to the lethal airstrikes, special units from the Yugoslavia's Ministry of Internal Affairs along with various criminals selected by the special forces carried out a false flag operation, during which the prisoners were massacred by firearms, after which state agency Tanjug claimed that all of the prison victims were killed by the airstrikes.[15][42][43]

May 29–31, 1999: Morava region, Novi Pazar, and road bombings

See also: Varvarin bridge bombing
 
Commemoration of the victims of the Varvarin Massacre

On May 29, 1999, the Prizren-Brezovica road was subject to NATO airstrikes. A chauffeur was killed driving in a convoy of journalists, and three more were injured.[15] At 1:05 pm local time on the following day, 1999, 10 civilians were killed when NATO bombers mounted a daylight raid on a bridge over the Great Morava river in Varvarin.[44] The streets and bridge had more people than usual as Trinity Sunday was observed that day.[45] NATO spokesman Jamie Shea said the alliance had bombed a "legitimate designated military target".[46]

Surdulica was bombed for the second time on the night of May 30–31, 1999, when NATO airstrikes destroyed a sanatorium and a retirement home.[47] Human Rights Watch published the names of the 23 civilians killed in the sanatorium.[15]

On May 31, 1999, a residential building was struck by a NATO bomb in Novi Pazar, killing 11 civilians.[48] On the same day, Human Rights Watch recorded that airstrikes killed three civilians in three separated incidents throughout central and southern Serbia; in Vranje, on the "Raška bridge", and in Draževac.[15]

Human Rights Watch analysis

 
A street in Belgrade destroyed by NATO bombs

Human Rights Watch documented and evaluated the impact and effects of the NATO military operation, and confirmed 90 incidents in which civilians died as a result of NATO bombing. These included attacks where cluster bombs were dropped.[49] In 1999, it was estimated that 488–527 Yugoslav civilians died as a result of NATO bombing.[50] The report also criticized Pentagon and NATO officials for a lack of attention to the issue of civilian deaths, suggesting "a resistance to acknowledging the actual civilian effects and an indifference to evaluating their causes."[51]

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...so that collateral damage is avoided." According to Lt. Gen. Michael Short, "collateral damage drove us to an extraordinary degree...[and] committed hours of [my] day dealing with the allies on issues of collateral damage."[52] "There is always a cost to defeat an evil," said NATO spokesman Jamie Shea, "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. He then defended this notion by stating, "NATO does not attack civilian targets, we attack exclusively military targets and take every precaution to avoid inflicting harm on civilians."[46]

See also

Notes

  • ^1 Zmaj Jova street is named after Jovan Jovanović Zmaj. Serbian variations of nouns are such that the street is spelled as "Zmaj Jove" (as opposed to having an "a" letter at the end) in the context of the sentence in the OK Radio article on the Milić family from Surdulica.[23]
  • ^2 There are multiple villages in the former Yugoslavia named Lužane. The Lužane bus bombing took place in a village called Lužane by Podujevo in Kosovo. However, there is another village also called Lužane located near Aleksinac, although that is not where the Niš-Ekspres bus was bombed.[53]

References

  1. ^ . Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  2. ^ Krieger, Heike (2001). The Kosovo conflict and international law. Cambridge University Press. p. 323. ISBN 978-0-521-80071-6. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  3. ^ . Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  4. ^ Norton-Taylor, Richard (March 9, 2000). "How the Serb army escaped Nato". The Guardian.
  5. ^ a b Goran Davidović (March 24, 2018). . Morava Info (in Serbian). Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  6. ^ Milan Laketić (March 24, 2015). "Država nije pomogla deci žrtava NATO bombardovanja". Blic (in Serbian). Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  7. ^ "NATO Crimes in Serbia (Yugoslavia)". May 1999. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  8. ^ "Pomen radnicima rafinerije". B92 (in Serbian). April 4, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  9. ^ "Posledice NATO bombardovanja u Pančevu" (in Serbian). RTS. March 24, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  10. ^ Ljiljana Staletović (November 11, 2001). "Brane se malim brojem poginulih" (in Serbian). Glas javnosti. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Dragan Ilić (March 24, 2017). Да се не заборави: 18 година од НАТО бомбардовања. Слово Југа (Slovo Juga) (in Serbian). Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Toma Todorović (April 6, 2008). Алексинац не заборавља жртве (in Serbian). Politika. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  13. ^ "Grdelica: Obeleženo 15 godina od raketiranja putničkog voza". Večernje novosti (in Serbian). April 12, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  14. ^ [1] Vesti-online: Nepoznat broj žrtava zločina u Grdelici. (in Serbian) April 13, 2015. Accessed July 17, 2017.
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  17. ^ "Na Grdeličkom mostu obeleženo osamnaest godina od NATO bombardovanja međunarodnog putničkog voza". Serbian Railways (in Serbian). April 12, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  18. ^ a b c Paul Watson (April 22, 1999). "Refugee Serbs Blame NATO in Camp Bombing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  19. ^ Savo Štrbac (April 2000). "Veritas: Bilten #11" (PDF) (in Serbian). Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  20. ^ HighBeam[dead link]
  21. ^ "Children reported killed when NATO bomb missed target". CNN. CNN. April 28, 1999. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  22. ^ "Surdulica, deset godina kasnije" (in Serbian). RTS. April 27, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  23. ^ a b c Dušan Đorđević (March 24, 2014). "Bombardovanje odnelo šestoro Milića". OK Radio (in Serbian). Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  24. ^ "Gađani mostovi i civili" (in Serbian). Glas javnosti. April 30, 1999. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  25. ^ Amil Ibrahimagić (30 April 2012). (in Serbian). Vijesti. Archived from the original (via Wayback Machine) on 30 October 2015.
  26. ^ "Kosovo: SERVIS, NEDELJA, 2.5.99., 13h. CAN" (in Serbian). Nezavisne Novine. May 2, 1999. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  27. ^ Lukáš Houdek (translated into English by Gwendolyn Albert) (June 16, 2011). "Prizren in the shadow of aircraft". Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  28. ^ a b Paul Watson (May 4, 1999). "NATO Bombs Kill 17 More Civilians". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  29. ^ Helen Kinghan (May 4, 1999). "Bus deaths claim disputed by NATO". The Irish Times. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  30. ^ M. Vučić (May 7, 2016). "Krenuli na pijacu, pa poginuli od kasetnih bombi". Južne vesti (in Serbian). Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  31. ^ D. Stojanović (May 7, 2015). "Suze za 16 žrtava kasetnih bombi". Večernje novosti (in Serbian). Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  32. ^ a b "U napadu NATO na kolonu kosovskih Albanaca kod sela Koriša 14. maja 1999. ubijeno 87 civila". Nova srpska politička misao (in Serbian). May 14, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  33. ^ Predrag Azdejković (March 24, 2012). "Ljudski gubici tokom NATO bombardovanja SRJ" (in Serbian). Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  34. ^ a b c Will Englund (June 20, 1999). "Refugees call Korisa a setup". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  35. ^ Krieger (2001). The Kosovo Conflict and International Law: An Analytical Documentation 1974-1999. Cambridge University Press. p. 352. ISBN 9780521800716.
  36. ^ "NATO says target was military post". Sunday Free Lance-Star. May 16, 1999.
  37. ^ "Once Again, NATO Admits Accidental Bombing Of Civilians". Chicago Tribune. May 16, 1999. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  38. ^ a b c "NATO avijacija u 58. noći napada na SR Jugoslaviju dejstvovala po Beogradu i južnoj Srbiji" (in Serbian). Glas javnosti. May 20, 1999. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  39. ^ a b Steven Pearlstein (May 21, 1999). "NATO Bomb Said to Hit Belgrade Hospital". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  40. ^ a b "Godišnjica stradanja vojnika i pacijenata" (in Serbian). RTS. May 20, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  41. ^ "NATO bomb hits hospital". BBC News. May 20, 1999.
  42. ^ Miloš Vasić (April 28, 2011). "Pokolj u zatvoru Dubrava". Vreme (in Serbian). Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  43. ^ Milica Jovanović (December 31, 2013). "Dubrava (1) – Rat u zatvoru". Peščanik (in Serbian). Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  44. ^ Rade Stanković (March 24, 2016). "Zločin u Varvarinu neće biti zaboravljen". Politika (in Serbian). Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  45. ^ Vladimir Minić, Nemanja Rujević (March 24, 2014). "Collateral damage? Nato airstrikes remembered in Varvarin". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  46. ^ a b "Civilian deaths 'necessary price'". BBC News. May 31, 1999.
  47. ^ "NATO 'hit old people's home'". BBC News. May 31, 1999.
  48. ^ "Obeležen dan pogibije 11 civila u Novom Pazaru u NATO bombardovanju". Blic (in Serbian). May 31, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  49. ^ . Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  50. ^ Trbovich 2008, p. 349.
  51. ^ Graham, Bradley (February 7, 2000). "Report Says NATO Bombing Killed 500 Civilians in Yugoslavia". The Washington Post.
  52. ^ . Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  53. ^ [2] RTS: Sećanje na žrtve bombardovanja. (in Serbian) March 24, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2017.

Sources

  • Trbovich, Ana S. (2008). A Legal Geography of Yugoslavia's Disintegration. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533343-5.

External links

  • NATO's bombing blunders (BBC)
  • (HRW)
  • List Of Incidents Involving Civilian Deaths in Operation Allied Force (HRW)
  • (HRW)

February 25, 2023
civilian, casualties, during, operation, allied, force, many, human, rights, groups, criticised, civilian, casualties, resulting, from, military, actions, nato, forces, operation, allied, force, both, serbs, albanians, were, killed, human, rights, watch, confi. Many human rights groups criticised civilian casualties resulting from military actions of NATO forces in Operation Allied Force Both Serbs and Albanians were killed in 90 Human Rights Watch confirmed incidents in which civilians died as a result of NATO bombing It reported that as few as 489 and as many as 528 Yugoslav civilians were killed in the NATO airstrikes Kenneth Roth the executive director of Human Rights Watch criticized NATO s decision to bomb civilian infrastructure in the war Once it made the decision to attack Yugoslavia NATO should have done more to protect civilians Roth remarked All too often NATO targeting subjected the civilian population to unacceptable risks Yugoslav government estimated that no fewer than 1 200 civilians and up to 2 500 civilians were killed and 5 000 wounded as a result of NATO airstrikes 1 2 From the beginning of Operation Allied Force NATO pledged to minimise civilian casualties Consideration of civilian casualties was incorporated into NATO s planning and targeting process Targets were looked at in terms of their military significance in relation to the collateral damage or the unintended consequence that might be there according to General Henry Shelton Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 3 Critics of the campaign have suggested that incidents were the inevitable result of NATO s policy of restricting its pilots to bombing from 15 000 feet or above for the sake of avoiding NATO deaths 4 Contents 1 Incidents 1 1 March 30 1999 Bombing of Cacak 1 2 April 1 2 1999 Airstrikes in Novi Sad Orahovac 1 3 April 4 6 1999 Bombings in Belgrade Pancevo Aleksinac and Vranje 1 4 April 12 1999 Bombing in southern Serbia 1 5 April 14 1999 First bombing of a refugee column 1 6 April 21 1999 Second bombing of refugee camp 1 7 April 23 1999 Radio Television Serbia RTS headquarters bombing 1 8 April 27 1999 First bombing of Surdulica 1 9 April 29 May 1 1999 Bombings in Montenegro and Kosovo 1 10 May 4 1999 Bus bombing in Savine Vode 1 11 May 7 1999 1 11 1 Cluster bombing of Nis 1 11 2 Chinese embassy bombing 1 12 May 14 1999 Bombing of Korisa 1 13 May 19 21 1999 Bombings in Dedinje Gnjilane and the Dubrava prison massacre 1 13 1 Gnjilane 1 13 2 Dragisa Misovic hospital bombing 1 13 3 Dubrava prison massacre 1 14 May 29 31 1999 Morava region Novi Pazar and road bombings 2 Human Rights Watch analysis 3 NATO strategy and claims 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 Sources 8 External linksIncidents Edit Damage in Novi Sad Destroyed Varadin Bridge March 30 1999 Bombing of Cacak Edit On March 30 1999 during a two day air raid on the Sloboda munitions plant in Cacak Mileva Kuveljic was killed in her home outside of the factory from airstrikes 5 According to a local historian Goran Davidovic another person injured by that day s airstrikes died a month later 5 April 1 2 1999 Airstrikes in Novi Sad Orahovac Edit On April 1 1999 at 5 05 am local time the Varadin Bridge in Novi Sad was destroyed by NATO projectiles killing a 29 year old NIS refinery worker Oleg Nasov 6 The following day 11 civilians were killed after the village of Nogovac in Orahovac was struck by three missiles 7 39 April 4 6 1999 Bombings in Belgrade Pancevo Aleksinac and Vranje Edit On April 4 1999 three workers were killed when the oil refinery in Pancevo was hit by NATO airstrikes 8 Subsequently 80 000 tons of oil ignited into flames and the concentration of carcinogens over Pancevo rose 10 500 times higher than local laws allowed at the time 9 On the same day one civilian was killed after airstrikes struck electric heating plants in Belgrade 10 Damage in Aleksinac On April 5 1999 a neighborhood in Vranje was bombed killing two civilians and injuring 15 11 On the night of April 5 6 1999 12 civilians were killed in the southern mining town of Aleksinac after it was struck by NATO forces 12 A total of 35 homes and 125 apartment units were destroyed with no obvious military target in the vicinity according to the Serbian newspaper Politika 12 April 12 1999 Bombing in southern Serbia Edit Main article Grdelica train bombing Railway bridge and monument to victims of the Grdelica train bombing A monument to the children killed in the NATO bombing located in Tasmajdan Park Belgrade featuring a bronze sculpture of Milica Rakic On April 12 1999 NATO airstrikes struck a railway bridge in Grdelica hitting a passenger train on the Nis Presevo line According to Vecernje Novosti 15 of the killed civilians were identified a large number of passengers were classified as missing 13 The Leskovac city board forbade medical workers and doctors to give information to journalists on collected remains of killed civilians preventing a more complete record of civilian casualties from taking place 14 Human Rights Watch listed the names of 12 passengers killed in Grdelica although reported that 20 civilians were killed in total 15 Yugoslavia s Tanjug reported about 50 passengers killed 15 whereas the Belgrade government recorded 55 16 In a commemorative gathering held on April 12 2017 Miodrag Poledica Serbia s Minister of Construction Transport and Infrastructure asserted that the exact number of those killed was never determined but it s assumed that there were more than fifty 17 In a separate bombing on the same day six civilians were killed in Merdare from NATO airstrikes on the border of Kursumlija and Podujevo 11 April 14 1999 First bombing of a refugee column Edit Main article NATO bombing of Albanian refugees near Đakovica On April 14 during daylight hours NATO aircraft repeatedly bombed Albanian refugee movements over a twelve mile 19 km stretch of road between Gjakova and Decani in western Kosovo killing seventy three civilians and injuring thirty six others Human Rights Watch HRW could document The attack began at 1 29pm 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 21 1999 Second bombing of refugee camp Edit On April 21 1999 a Serbian refugee camp in Majino Naselje of Gjakova was struck by heavy airstrikes 18 The Los Angeles Times reported that four civilians were killed 18 however a Belgrade based bulletin listed the names of five individuals who were killed in the attack 19 NATO spokesman Mike Phillips denied that NATO was responsible for the bombing of Majino Naselje 18 April 23 1999 Radio Television Serbia RTS headquarters bombing Edit Main article NATO bombing of the Radio Television of Serbia headquarters The damaged headquarters of the Radio Television of Serbia One of the largest incidents of civilian deaths and certainly the largest in Belgrade was the bombing of state TV headquarters in Belgrade on April 23 As a consequence sixteen RTS civilian technicians and workers were killed and sixteen were wounded Dragoljub Milanovic was the director general of Serbian Radio and Television and belonged to former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic s Socialist Party of Serbia He was found guilty and jailed for 10 years for intentional withholding information from his employees about the eventual bombing which had a direct effect on the number of dead 20 April 27 1999 First bombing of Surdulica Edit On April 27 1999 NATO missiles struck several houses in the southern town of Surdulica A CNN journalist named Alessio Vinci subsequently visited the local morgue where he reported 16 civilians killed as a result of the attack 21 One of Serbia s public broadcasters RTS reported that 20 civilians were killed in Surdulica on April 27 1999 22 Many of the victims had been killed in a single house on Zmaj Jova street 1 owned by Vojislav Milic 23 Milic s family and several neighbors took refuge in Milic s basement when his house was struck by two bombs after which nine people were killed in his house alone 23 April 29 May 1 1999 Bombings in Montenegro and Kosovo Edit Main article Luzane bus bombing Monument to the victims in Murino near Plav On April 29 1999 one woman was killed and three more people were injured from shrapnel during the bombing of Tuzi 24 On April 30 1999 NATO bombs struck Murino a village located near Plav killing six civilians of whom three were under the age of 16 25 On May 1 1999 a Nis Ekspres bus taking passengers to Kosovo was hit by NATO missiles when it crossed a bridge in the village of Luzane near Podujevo 2 The number of casualties reported from the Nis Ekspres bombing vary with Human Rights Watch recording 39 civilians killed 15 whereas the Minister of Health Leposava Milicevic reported that 47 civilians killed in the bus bombing had been identified 15 26 In a separate attack also on May 1 1999 at least 12 civilians were killed when a Romani neighborhood in Prizren was struck by NATO bombs 27 May 4 1999 Bus bombing in Savine Vode Edit On May 4 1999 a bus was destroyed in the village of Savine Vode near Pec with 17 civilian deaths 28 NATO denied responsibility 29 however a remnant of a bomb found in Savine Vode after the attack had the markings of Magnavox an American electronics manufacturer 28 The Yugoslav government submitted further evidence to Human Rights Watch after which Human Rights Watch counted the casualties as those inflicted by NATO 15 May 7 1999 Edit Cluster bombing of Nis Edit Main article Cluster bombing of Nis The NATO cluster munition in the Aeronautical Museum Belgrade Monument to victims of the bombing Nis On May 7 1999 cluster munitions were dropped on Nis 30 Human Rights Watch recorded 14 civilians killed 15 whereas Serbian sources reported 16 civilians killed 31 Chinese embassy bombing Edit Main article US bombing of the People s Republic of China embassy in Belgrade A salvo of US JDAM GPS guided bombs struck the embassy of the People s Republic of China in Belgrade killing three Chinese diplomats and injuring 20 others CIA director George Tenet later admitted in congressional testimony that the CIA had organised the strike and that it was the only strike of the campaign organised by his agency though he still claimed it was accidental China has never accepted the US explanation for the incident May 14 1999 Bombing of Korisa Edit Main article Korisa bombing Starting before midnight and lasting into the morning hours of May 14 1999 NATO planes bombed the village of Korisa in Kosovo where Albanian peasants were seeking refuge in a convoy 32 Sources vary between 77 33 and 87 killed 32 34 Survivors of the attack claimed that they had been set up by the Yugoslav police who led them to the supply depot which was bombed that night 34 35 The Yugoslav police had led the refugees to the depot promising them refuge and passage to Albania although the survivors claimed that the police asked for money and made threats before escorting them 34 After the bombing of Korisa Yugoslav troops took TV crews to the scene shortly after the bombing 36 The Yugoslav government insisted that NATO had targeted civilians 37 May 19 21 1999 Bombings in Dedinje Gnjilane and the Dubrava prison massacre Edit Gnjilane Edit At approximately 10 20 am local time on May 19 1999 a small industrial area in Gnjilane was struck by NATO airstrikes immediately killing three women who were working at the agricultural firm Mladost 38 A man working for Binacka Morava initially survived the airstrikes but died of his injuries the same day 38 Glas javnosti published the names of all four workers killed in Gnjilane that day 38 Dragisa Misovic hospital bombing Edit At approximately 12 50 am local time on May 19 1999 the University Hospital Center Dr Dragisa Misovic in Belgrade was destroyed by NATO laser guided bombs 39 RTS listed the names of three patients killed 40 Seven soldiers of the Yugoslav Army were also killed in the hospital although their names were listed separately from those of the three patients 40 NATO admitted that a missile was aimed at barracks in the Dedinje district which is close to the hospital went astray 39 41 Dubrava prison massacre Edit Main article Dubrava Prison bombings and executions Starting on May 19 1999 NATO forces bombed the town of Istok killing three prisoners and a prison guard that day 15 Two days later NATO forces struck the prison complex again with at least 19 prisoners being killed from the airstrikes according to Human Rights Watch 15 Subsequent to the lethal airstrikes special units from the Yugoslavia s Ministry of Internal Affairs along with various criminals selected by the special forces carried out a false flag operation during which the prisoners were massacred by firearms after which state agency Tanjug claimed that all of the prison victims were killed by the airstrikes 15 42 43 May 29 31 1999 Morava region Novi Pazar and road bombings Edit See also Varvarin bridge bombing Commemoration of the victims of the Varvarin Massacre On May 29 1999 the Prizren Brezovica road was subject to NATO airstrikes A chauffeur was killed driving in a convoy of journalists and three more were injured 15 At 1 05 pm local time on the following day 1999 10 civilians were killed when NATO bombers mounted a daylight raid on a bridge over the Great Morava river in Varvarin 44 The streets and bridge had more people than usual as Trinity Sunday was observed that day 45 NATO spokesman Jamie Shea said the alliance had bombed a legitimate designated military target 46 Surdulica was bombed for the second time on the night of May 30 31 1999 when NATO airstrikes destroyed a sanatorium and a retirement home 47 Human Rights Watch published the names of the 23 civilians killed in the sanatorium 15 On May 31 1999 a residential building was struck by a NATO bomb in Novi Pazar killing 11 civilians 48 On the same day Human Rights Watch recorded that airstrikes killed three civilians in three separated incidents throughout central and southern Serbia in Vranje on the Raska bridge and in Drazevac 15 Human Rights Watch analysis Edit A street in Belgrade destroyed by NATO bombs Human Rights Watch documented and evaluated the impact and effects of the NATO military operation and confirmed 90 incidents in which civilians died as a result of NATO bombing These included attacks where cluster bombs were dropped 49 In 1999 it was estimated that 488 527 Yugoslav civilians died as a result of NATO bombing 50 The report also criticized Pentagon and NATO officials for a lack of attention to the issue of civilian deaths suggesting a resistance to acknowledging the actual civilian effects and an indifference to evaluating their causes 51 NATO strategy and claims EditFrom 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 so that collateral damage is avoided According to Lt Gen Michael Short collateral damage drove us to an extraordinary degree and committed hours of my day dealing with the allies on issues of collateral damage 52 There is always a cost to defeat an evil said NATO spokesman Jamie Shea 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 He then defended this notion by stating NATO does not attack civilian targets we attack exclusively military targets and take every precaution to avoid inflicting harm on civilians 46 See also EditCasualty recording Humanitarian Law Centre Civilian casualties during the NATO intervention in LibyaNotes Edit 1 Zmaj Jova street is named after Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj Serbian variations of nouns are such that the street is spelled as Zmaj Jove as opposed to having an a letter at the end in the context of the sentence in the OK Radio article on the Milic family from Surdulica 23 2 There are multiple villages in the former Yugoslavia named Luzane The Luzane bus bombing took place in a village called Luzane by Podujevo in Kosovo However there is another village also called Luzane located near Aleksinac although that is not where the Nis Ekspres bus was bombed 53 References Edit Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign The Crisis in Kosovo Archived from the original on November 21 2016 Retrieved December 4 2016 Krieger Heike 2001 The Kosovo conflict and international law Cambridge University Press p 323 ISBN 978 0 521 80071 6 Retrieved April 19 2009 Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign The Crisis in Kosovo Archived from the original on November 21 2016 Retrieved December 4 2016 Norton Taylor Richard March 9 2000 How the Serb army escaped Nato The Guardian a b Goran Davidovic March 24 2018 Secanje Hronologija bombardovanja Cacka 1999 godine Morava Info in Serbian Archived from the original on February 20 2019 Retrieved February 19 2019 Milan Laketic March 24 2015 Drzava nije pomogla deci zrtava NATO bombardovanja Blic in Serbian Retrieved July 15 2017 NATO Crimes in Serbia Yugoslavia May 1999 Retrieved August 6 2017 Pomen radnicima rafinerije B92 in Serbian April 4 2010 Retrieved July 19 2017 Posledice NATO bombardovanja u Pancevu in Serbian RTS March 24 2016 Retrieved July 19 2017 Ljiljana Staletovic November 11 2001 Brane se malim brojem poginulih in Serbian Glas javnosti Retrieved August 6 2017 a b Dragan Ilic March 24 2017 Da se ne zaboravi 18 godina od NATO bombardovaњa Slovo Јuga Slovo Juga in Serbian Retrieved July 15 2017 a b Toma Todorovic April 6 2008 Aleksinac ne zaboravљa zhrtve in Serbian Politika Retrieved June 20 2017 Grdelica Obelezeno 15 godina od raketiranja putnickog voza Vecernje novosti in Serbian April 12 2014 Retrieved July 17 2017 1 Vesti online Nepoznat broj zrtava zlocina u Grdelici in Serbian April 13 2015 Accessed July 17 2017 a b c d e f g h i j k l Kosovo Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign Human Rights Watch February 1 2000 Retrieved July 17 2017 A long litany of NATO mistakes hits a new low The Irish Times May 10 1999 Retrieved July 17 2017 Na Grdelickom mostu obelezeno osamnaest godina od NATO bombardovanja međunarodnog putnickog voza Serbian Railways in Serbian April 12 2017 Retrieved February 19 2019 a b c Paul Watson April 22 1999 Refugee Serbs Blame NATO in Camp Bombing Los Angeles Times Retrieved July 16 2017 Savo Strbac April 2000 Veritas Bilten 11 PDF in Serbian Retrieved July 16 2017 HighBeam dead link Children reported killed when NATO bomb missed target CNN CNN April 28 1999 Retrieved July 16 2017 Surdulica deset godina kasnije in Serbian RTS April 27 2009 Retrieved July 16 2017 a b c Dusan Đorđevic March 24 2014 Bombardovanje odnelo sestoro Milica OK Radio in Serbian Retrieved July 16 2017 Gađani mostovi i civili in Serbian Glas javnosti April 30 1999 Retrieved March 16 2019 Amil Ibrahimagic 30 April 2012 U Murini obiljezeno 13 godina od NATO bombardovanja in Serbian Vijesti Archived from the original via Wayback Machine on 30 October 2015 Kosovo SERVIS NEDELJA 2 5 99 13h CAN in Serbian Nezavisne Novine May 2 1999 Retrieved July 17 2017 Lukas Houdek translated into English by Gwendolyn Albert June 16 2011 Prizren in the shadow of aircraft Retrieved June 20 2017 a b Paul Watson May 4 1999 NATO Bombs Kill 17 More Civilians Los Angeles Times Retrieved July 17 2017 Helen Kinghan May 4 1999 Bus deaths claim disputed by NATO The Irish Times Retrieved July 17 2017 M Vucic May 7 2016 Krenuli na pijacu pa poginuli od kasetnih bombi Juzne vesti in Serbian Retrieved June 13 2017 D Stojanovic May 7 2015 Suze za 16 zrtava kasetnih bombi Vecernje novosti in Serbian Retrieved August 10 2017 a b U napadu NATO na kolonu kosovskih Albanaca kod sela Korisa 14 maja 1999 ubijeno 87 civila Nova srpska politicka misao in Serbian May 14 2014 Retrieved July 16 2017 Predrag Azdejkovic March 24 2012 Ljudski gubici tokom NATO bombardovanja SRJ in Serbian Retrieved July 16 2017 a b c Will Englund June 20 1999 Refugees call Korisa a setup The Baltimore Sun Retrieved July 4 2012 Krieger 2001 The Kosovo Conflict and International Law An Analytical Documentation 1974 1999 Cambridge University Press p 352 ISBN 9780521800716 NATO says target was military post Sunday Free Lance Star May 16 1999 Once Again NATO Admits Accidental Bombing Of Civilians Chicago Tribune May 16 1999 Retrieved July 4 2012 a b c NATO avijacija u 58 noci napada na SR Jugoslaviju dejstvovala po Beogradu i juznoj Srbiji in Serbian Glas javnosti May 20 1999 Retrieved July 18 2017 a b Steven Pearlstein May 21 1999 NATO Bomb Said to Hit Belgrade Hospital The Washington Post Retrieved July 17 2017 a b Godisnjica stradanja vojnika i pacijenata in Serbian RTS May 20 2012 Retrieved July 17 2017 NATO bomb hits hospital BBC News May 20 1999 Milos Vasic April 28 2011 Pokolj u zatvoru Dubrava Vreme in Serbian Retrieved August 4 2017 Milica Jovanovic December 31 2013 Dubrava 1 Rat u zatvoru Pescanik in Serbian Retrieved August 4 2017 Rade Stankovic March 24 2016 Zlocin u Varvarinu nece biti zaboravljen Politika in Serbian Retrieved July 15 2017 Vladimir Minic Nemanja Rujevic March 24 2014 Collateral damage Nato airstrikes remembered in Varvarin Deutsche Welle Retrieved July 15 2017 a b Civilian deaths necessary price BBC News May 31 1999 NATO hit old people s home BBC News May 31 1999 Obelezen dan pogibije 11 civila u Novom Pazaru u NATO bombardovanju Blic in Serbian May 31 2014 Retrieved June 13 2017 Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign The Crisis in Kosovo Archived from the original on November 21 2016 Retrieved December 4 2016 Trbovich 2008 p 349 Graham Bradley February 7 2000 Report Says NATO Bombing Killed 500 Civilians in Yugoslavia The Washington Post Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign The Crisis in Kosovo Archived from the original on November 21 2016 Retrieved December 4 2016 2 RTS Secanje na zrtve bombardovanja in Serbian March 24 2012 Retrieved July 17 2017 Sources EditTrbovich Ana S 2008 A Legal Geography of Yugoslavia s Disintegration Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 533343 5 External links EditNATO 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 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Civilian casualties during Operation Allied Force amp oldid 1124766216, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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