SERBS BOMBED; NATO FORCES POUND TARGETS IN YUGOSLAVIA.Byline: Lori Montgomery, Jeffrey Fleishman and Richard Parker Richard Parker may refer to: People
Knight Ridder (IPA: /ˈrɪdɚ/) was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Newspapers In NATO's first attack on a sovereign state SOVEREIGN STATE. One which governs itself independently of any foreign power. , bombs and cruise missiles destroyed military and strategic installations across Yugoslavia late Wednesday in the bloody battle over Kosovo. NATO NATO: see North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO in full North Atlantic Treaty Organization International military alliance created to defend western Europe against a possible Soviet invasion. planes shot down at least two Yugoslav fighter jets, the Pentagon said. The airstrikes - the largest bombing mission in Europe since World War II - flashed across clear skies Clear Skies could refer to:
Missiles also hit a large Yugoslav air base at Batajnica, 12 miles away; a munitions mu·ni·tion n. War materiel, especially weapons and ammunition. Often used in the plural. tr.v. mu·ni·tioned, mu·ni·tion·ing, mu·ni·tions To supply with munitions. plant in Kragujevac; radar facilities in Montenegro; and military targets throughout Kosovo. An independent Serb radio station reported that at least one missile struck a building housing about 600 people - including women and children - near the Belgrade suburb of Zarkovo. The report could not be independently confirmed. NATO launched the attack after diplomatic efforts failed to persuade Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to end his military offense in the Serb province of Kosovo and accept terms of peace with Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority. ``At 8 o'clock the sovereign territory of Yugoslavia was attacked,'' the Serb military command center announced as cruise missiles struck their targets. Six hours after the attacks, in a nationally televised address to the American people An American people may be:
``We act to prevent a wider war, to defuse a powder keg powder keg n. 1. A small cask for holding gunpowder or other explosives. 2. A potentially explosive situation or thing. powder keg Noun 1. at the heart of Europe that has exploded twice before in this century with catastrophic results,'' Clinton said. He also made a case on humanitarian grounds, saying NATO couldn't stand by and watch a slaughter of Kosovar Albanians. ``We've seen innocent people taken from their homes, forced to kneel in the dirt and sprayed with bullets; Kosovar men dragged from their families; fathers and sons together lined up and shot in cold blood. . . . Imagine what would happen if we and our allies instead decided just to look the other way as these people were massacred on NATO's doorstep.'' In the first hours of the air war, an American pilot and a Dutch pilot each shot down a Yugoslav MiG fighter, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. two Pentagon officials, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity. They said a third aerial battle may have brought down another Yugoslav plane, but they had no confirmation. U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen For other persons named William Cohen, see William Cohen (disambiguation). William Sebastian Cohen (born 28 August 1940) is an author and American politician from the U.S. state of Maine. said all U.S. planes had returned safely from their missions. Among the American planes were two batwing Noun 1. batwing - one of a pair of swinging doors (as at the entrance to a western saloon) swing door, swinging door - a door that swings on a double hinge; opens in either direction Adj. 1. B-2 stealth bombers, never before used in warfare. Clinton, who canceled a three-day political trip to Ohio, Nevada and California to handle the crisis, has warned repeatedly in recent days that the operation was risky. He added Wednesday: ``I have concluded that the dangers of acting now are clearly outweighed by the risks of failing to act - the risks that many more innocent people will die or be driven from their homes by the tens of thousands, the risks that the conflict will involve and destabilize de·sta·bi·lize tr.v. de·sta·bi·lized, de·sta·bi·liz·ing, de·sta·bi·liz·es 1. To upset the stability or smooth functioning of: neighboring nations.'' Unless Milosevic backs down, NATO's air attack will be open-ended, said Gen. Henry Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking overall military officer of the United States military, and the principal military adviser to the President of the United States. . Shelton said the attacks will continue until the Yugoslav military forces in and around Kosovo are rendered ineffective. Much depends on the weather. Cloud cover, which interferes with pilots' sight and with the laser beams that direct precision weapons, could prolong the attack. In a significant diplomatic change, Clinton omitted mention of an early goal of the NATO mission - to force the Serbs into signing a peace deal with the Kosovar Albanians. Instead, the president framed the mission's objectives as supporting NATO's opposition to aggression, stopping the ongoing Serb violence against Kosovar Albanians and hitting Milosevic's military hard enough that he couldn't easily launch another offensive against Kosovar Albanians. In Belgrade, NATO officials divulged no details about the attacks and gave no idea when the strikes would end. WEDNESDAY'S DEVELOPMENTS American B-52 bombers took off from Britain and about 70 allied planes left Italy as NATO began airstrikes against Yugoslavia on Wednesday night. Nearly 100 air- and sea-launched cruise missiles were hurled against the Serbs, U.S. defense officials said. Explosions were heard in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, and around Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia. A military aircraft plant in Pancevo and a army military barracks bar·rack 1 tr.v. bar·racked, bar·rack·ing, bar·racks To house (soldiers, for example) in quarters. n. 1. A building or group of buildings used to house military personnel. in Danilovgrad were among the targets hit. Army Gen. Henry Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said detailed information on targets and outcome of NATO airstrikes would be withheld to protect NATO pilots and to avoid aiding Yugoslav forces. A NATO spokesman denied Yugoslav claims it shot down two NATO planes. A U.S. defense official said at least two Yugoslav MiG fighters were shot down by NATO warplanes. Yugoslavia declared a state of war shortly after attacks began, stepping up the mobilization of troops. Hours before the attack, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic urged Yugoslavs in a nationally televised address to defend the country ``by all means.'' President Clinton, speaking from the Oval Office, said the airstrikes were ordered because ``only firmness now can prevent greater catastrophe later.'' Earlier, Clinton telephoned Russian President Boris Yeltsin “Yeltsin” redirects here. For other uses, see Yeltsin (disambiguation). Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (IPA: [bʌˈrʲis nʲikoˈlajevɨtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn] in an attemIpt to stave off a rift in U.S.-Russian relations over the airstrikes. At the United Nations, Russia and China criticized the United States and its allies for the bombing of Yugoslavia There were two aerial bombings of Yugoslavia in history.
Russia halted military cooperation with NATO to protest the strikes. Yeltsin said if the conflict grows, Russia reserves the right to take ``adequate measures, including of a military character, to ensure its own and general European security.'' Defense Secretary William Cohen said NATO forces would continue hitting the Yugoslav military until Milosevic relents in a campaign of repression and violence against the majority ethnic Albanian people of Kosovo. - Associated Press CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box, 2 maps PHOTO (1 -- color) A U.S. F-16 fighter plane takes off for Yugoslavia from NATO's Aviano, Italy, air base Wednesday. Franco DeBernardi/Associated Press (2 -- color) Yugoslav army barracks burn near the Kosovo capital of Pristina on Wednesday as NATO forces launched an attack to end fighting in the region. Srdjan Ilic/Associated Press Box: Wednesday's developments (see text) Map: (1) Strike on Yugoslavia (2) Early targets |
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