Madeleine Albright served as the U.S. Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001, during President Bill Clinton’s administration. She was a key figure in the NATO intervention in Serbia in 1999. As Secretary of State, she argued that NATO had a moral obligation to intervene to stop the Serbian government's campaign of ethnic cleansing against Kosovar Albanians. The bombing campaign lasted for 78 days and ultimately led to the withdrawal of Serbian forces from Kosovo.
Critics of the NATO intervention, which did not have U.N. Security Council approval, have made allegations of war crimes, mainly:
* Civilian casualties: NATO bombings resulted in civilian casualties. The exact number is disputed and varies from around 500 to over 2,000 depending on the source.
* Use of depleted uranium: NATO’s use of depleted uranium in its ammunition has been associated with health risks, including cancer and birth defects.
* Bombing of non-military targets: Several buildings not involved in military activities were hit, including the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, in which three Chinese journalists were killed.
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