1300 BC -Ancestors of the Albanians known as Illyrians settle in Balkans

6th century AD-Various groups of Slavs, the ancestors of Serbs, settle in Balkans.

1180 AD-Stefan Nemanj formed the first united Serbian state.

1389 ­ Battle of Kosova-Polje: Serbia is defeated by an Ottoman army. Serbian Nationalists have used this battle as a seat of anger towards the "Turks" and Muslims in the area.

1459 ­ Kosova becomes a province of Ottoman Empire.

1912-13 Balkan War -Serbia conquers most of Kosova region.

1939- WWII - Kosova Albanians revolt against Serbian rule and join Albania.

1946-Allied powers (particularly Russia, France, and Britain) forcibly incorporate Kosova into Serbia. Kosova remains under the Serb dominated Kosova League of Communists.

1974-Limited autonomy granted to Kosova, after Albanians take over Kosova League of Communists-still part of Yugoslavia.

1987-Milosevic, then head of Serbian communist party, used anti-Albanian and extreme Serb nationalist rhetoric to come to power.

1990-Milosevic terminates autonomy of Kosova. Kosovar Albanian autonomous government is shut down. Civil rights of Kosovar Albanians denied as de-facto Serb military control Kosova.

June 25, 1991-Slovenia and Croatia are first Yugoslav republics to declare independence.

October, 1991- Kosova declares independence, recognized only by Albania.

1992-Macedonia and Bosnia declare independence.

1992-Serbs start genocide of Muslims in Bosnia.

August, 1992- Concentration camps and Rape camps of Muslims (primarily) and Croat victims uncovered.

July, 1995- Serbs capture one of six U.N. declared safe havens, Srebrenica.

Population of Muslim teenage and adult males executed. U.N. soldiers do not intervene.

November, 1995- The Dayton Accords are signed, stopping conflict on heel of NATO airstrikes against Serbs, and recent Muslim and Bosnian Croat victories against Serbs.

1995 ­Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, democratically elected President of Kosova, travels to Washington requesting international mediation. U.S. Administration refuses.

Summer, 1997-Kosova Liberation Army (KLA) is formed out of frustration following little progress by Rugova.

1998- Serbs massacre mostly women and children in Kosovar Drenica village in March followed by Bosnia -style ethnic cleansing starting in mid- May.

Some references include:

Kosovo - A Short History, Malcolm, Noel. New York: New York University Press, 1998

A Witness to Genocide. Gutman, Roy. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1993.

To End A War. Holbrooke, Richard. New York: Random House, 1998.

Mass Rape - The War against Women in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Stiglmayer, Alexandra, ed. Lincoln & London: University of Nebraska Press, 1994.

Muslim Communities in the New EuropeNonneman, Gerd et. Al., Ithaca Press, 1996

Islam in the Balkans: Religion and Society between Europe and the Arab WorldNorris, H.T, University of South Carolina Press (1993)

Muslim Identity and the Balkan State.Poulton, Hugh and Taji-Farouki, Suha, Editors, New York University Press (1997)