All Battles

Racak incident

1999 Kosovo Scharmützel

Historical Overview

The Račak massacre or Račak operation was the massacre of 45 Kosovo Albanian civilians that took place in the village of Račak in central Kosovo in January 1999. The massacre was perpetrated by Serbian security forces in response to Albanian separatist activity in the region. The Serbian government refused to let a war crimes prosecutor visit the site, and maintained that the casualties were all members of the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) killed in combat with state security forces. This was untrue, although there were nine KLA militants killed in the village along with the 45 civilians.

Quick Facts

Outcome:NATO Interv.

NATO

  • Commander: Wesley Clark
  • Strength: Diplomatie
  • Casualties: 0

Serbia

  • Commander: S. Milošević
  • Strength: Miliz
  • Casualties: gering

Strategic Context

Reaction to alleged Serbian atrocities.

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Historical Locations

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