NATO is marking 20 years of peacekeeping operations in Kosovo.<\/p>\n
Three-and-a-half thousand troops, from 28 NATO allies and partner nations make up 'KFOR', or KosovoForce.<\/p>\n
An ethnic conflict that tore apart the southeasternEuropean state forms the background to NATO's involvement.<\/p>\n
Fighting broke out between Serbian and Kosovo Albanian forces in 1998, amidst the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.<\/p>\n
A campaign of ethnic cleansing was pursued by President Slobodan Milosevic, prompting NATO's intervention in 1999.<\/p>\n
The then-Serbian President spearheaded attacks against all non-Serbs, in particular, Kosovo Albanians.<\/p>\n
In response, failed diplomatic avenues were followed by military options, including airstrikes.<\/p>\n
Jonathan Parish, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Operations, said: \"The conflict had created this dire humanitarian crisis, it was threatening the stability of the region, and the security of the region, and NATO's intervention was therefore necessary.\"<\/p>\n
A 78-day NATO bombing campaign ended the 1998-99 conflict, which saw more than 10,000 people killed.<\/p>\n
NATO troops on the ground were also involved, andthey made their way into Kosovo on 12 June 1999.<\/p>\n
Before first light, British paratroopers from5th Airborne Brigade and personnel from the Gurkha Rifles had started crossing over the border from Macedonia.<\/p>\n
British Chinook and US Apache helicopters followed, while on the ground, soldiers from 4 Armoured Brigade lined up in convoy.<\/p>\n
It was the start of one of the biggest military deployments since the Second World War.<\/p>\n
At its peak, up to 50,000 NATO personnel were deployed to Kosovo,200 of whomdied for the mission.<\/p>\n
Two decades on, NATO's presence remains.<\/p>\n
A major objective of 'KFOR' is to train Kosovan forces in specialist areas such as bomb disposal, amidst the threat of thousands of unexploded devices and explosive remnants from the war.<\/p>\n
1st Lieutenant Taylor Martin, Commander, KFOR EOD Team, said:<\/p>\n
\"If they get called in something, then we need to know what they're capable of, so that if the worst happens and then we get called in as a backup, then we know what we're goinginto.\"<\/p>\n
DespiteKosovo being largely at peace, the tensions which caused the conflict still exist.<\/p>\n
The relevance of KFOR's mission is fully clear in the present day, especially with the reluctance of Russia and Serbia to recognise Kosovo's independence.<\/p>\n
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