Photograph courtesy of OSCE

The present Kosovo crisis began in early 1998 when large-scale fighting broke out, resulting in the displacement of some 300,000 people.   A ceasefire was agreed in October 1998 which enabled refugees to find shelter, averting an impending humanitarian crisis over the winter.  A Verification Mission was deployed under the auspices of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).  However, violence continued and the situation worsened significantly with the killings in Racak on 16 January 1999.   Diplomatic efforts continue to try to find a long-term peaceful solution.

This web site, produced jointly by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, contains a wide range of information about the situation in Kosovo and the actions of the United Kingdom and her Allies in trying to resolve the political dispute behind the conflict.  It offers a range of news items and background material on the course of the Kosovo conflict, as well as information on the forces - British, NATO and Yugoslav - in the region.  Links are also provided to useful sources of information elsewhere on the Internet.