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Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija Krahina Autonome e Kosovës dhe Metohisë Аутономна Покрајина Косово и Метохиjа | |
|---|---|
 Location of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia | |
| Capital | Pristina |
| Official languages | Albanian Serbian |
| Area | |
• Total | 10,887 km² |
| Population | |
• 2011 census | 1,780,021 |
The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, often shorted to Kosovo, is an autonomous region of Serbia that is currently occupied by NATO.[1]
History
Second World War
During the Second World War, Albanian fascists expelled 70,000 Serbs from Kosovo and brought in a similar number of Albanians from Albania. The Nazi 21st SS division murdered thousands of serbs in northeastern Kosovo.[2]:95
Yugoslavia
Tito made Kosovo an autonomous region after the war and then an autonomous province in 1963 in order to placate Albanian nationalists. In 1974, Yugoslavia adopted a new constitution that weakened the central government and gave more power to regional authorities in Kosovo.[2]:96
Yugoslav Wars
Until 1992, Kosovo was an autonomous region of the Socialist Republic of Serbia within Yugoslavia. In 1999, Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević surrendered to NATO after the United States bombed Serbia for 78 days. NATO divided Kosovo into five zones occupied by the USA, UK, France, Germany, and Italy. They installed the fascist Kosovo Liberation Army as the new government of Kosovo.[1]
Demographics
Between 1945 and 1998, the non-Albanian population of Kosovo dropped from 60% to 15%. Tito did not prevent Albanians from expelling Serbs and other ethnicities.[2]:96
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Richard Becker (2007-12-14). "Why the U.S. backs Kosovo ‘independence’" Liberation School. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Michael Parenti (2000). To Kill a Nation: 'On to Kosovo'. [PDF] Verso.