Not approved by UN Security Council, no US declaration of war, no provocation. Up to 400 NATO warplanes expected to bomb Serb targets.….Pres. Bill Clinton: "“After two world wars and a cold war, we and our allies have a chance to leave our children with a Europe that is free, peaceful and stable," the president said.” 3/25/1999…image BBC
3/25/1999, “NATO bombs Serbia," BBC
“NATO planes have returned to base after the first wave of air strikes [bombs] against Serbia, fulfilling the West’s threat to strike over the [alleged] Kosovo crisis….
US defence officials said the attacks, the first against a sovereign country in NATO’s 50-year history, began with air and sea-launched cruise missiles.
Attacks were also carried out by batwing B-2 stealth bombers, the first time the aircraft have been used in combat.
The Yugoslav news agency Tanjug is reporting that the country has declared a “state of war” against NATO….
[Yugoslavia gif]
Russia’s President Boris Yeltsin, opposed to the action, has recalled the country’s representative at NATO’s Brussels headquarters.
He has also ordered a halt to all co-operation with the alliance.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations told an emergency meeting of the Security Council that NATO’s actions were a violation of international law. The meeting ended without members passing a resolution.
Damage reports
BBC Correspondents and news agencies have reported explosions in Serbia and Montenegro including:
- Suspected strikes against the large Batajnica military air base near Belgrade.
- Strikes against an aircraft factory near the capital.
- At least three explosions at Novi Sad, north of Belgrade.
- Hits against the Zastava weapons plant in Kragujevac.
Correspondents in the Kosovo capital Pristina report:
- Large explosions shortly before 1900 GMT.
- A loss of lighting and power in the capital.
- Repeated soundings of air raid sirens and explosions near a military air field.
In its first reports, Tanjug say that some family members of government forces have been killed.
The agency also reported that seven Serbian towns had been hit in the first wave of NATO attacks.
The frequency of attacks slowed later in the evening and an all-clear was sounded in Belgrade at just before midnight local time.
An hour later the air raid siren was sounded again. Further explosions have been heard in Pristina.
The
main Serb television channel showed pictures of what appeared to be a
missile in flight and burning buildings. During the evening it showed a
Second World War film.
During the evening, up to 20 journalists were arrested by Serbian police as they tried to film the attacks from the roof of a Belgrade hotel. Two BBC staff are be among the number detained.
‘Full blown crisis’
NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana announced the beginning of the operation which is expected to pave the way for huge bombing raids on Serb targets by up to 400 NATO warplanes.
Hours earlier, eight American B-52 bombers, armed with cruise missiles, left from an airbase in England.
Four German Tornado jets provided cover for attacking aircraft, flying with the UK’s RAF, the first time the country’s military has been involved in combat in foreign territory since the Second World War.
Speaking shortly after the announcement of the attacks, President Bill Clinton said: ”Kosovo’s crisis is now full blown,” he said. "If we don’t act clearly it will get even worse.
“Only firmness now can prevent greater catastrophe later.”…
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Comment: Who will save the world from endless, depraved, US taxpayer funded US-UK-NATO crimes against humanity? It looks like Russia is the world's only hope.
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