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UÇKHistory and Memory

21 June 1999 – 21 September 1999 · 1999

The UÇK's demilitarisation undertaking and the creation of the TMK

The UÇK signed its unilateral undertaking of demilitarisation and transformation on 21 June 1999 (the text is dated 20 June). On 20 September 1999 UNMIK established the Kosovo Protection Corps, and on 21 September NATO welcomed KFOR's confirmation that the KLA had fulfilled its commitment.
Evidence status: Documented. Supported by contemporaneous documents, institutional reports or independent studies that corroborate one another.After June 1999PoliticsPostwar
Men in camouflage uniforms lined up facing American soldiers.
Members of the Kosovo Liberation Army stand in formation to turn over their weapons to U.S. Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit in the village of Zegra, 30 June 1999.Photo: DoD photo by Sgt. Craig J. Shell, U.S. Marine Corps · 1999-06-30 · Domen publik (Public domain)

The undertaking provided for a ceasefire, disengagement from conflict zones and completion of demilitarisation within 90 days. KFOR commander Mike Jackson countersigned only to acknowledge receipt, stressing that it was not an agreement between KFOR and the KLA but a unilateral undertaking [1] [2] [3].

The TMK was created as a civilian emergency service agency with no law-enforcement role, with up to 3,000 active and 2,000 reserve members [4]. Solana declared that “as of today, the KLA has ceased to exist as a structured para-military organisation” [5].

Photographs

Two officers in camouflage uniforms seated at a table under a tent exchanging papers.
Brigadier General Bantz J. Craddock, commander of U.S. forces in Kosovo (Task Force Falcon), exchanges documents with the commander of the KLA's Karadak Zone, 25 June 1999. The signing was part of a local agreement on the phased demobilisation and demilitarisation of KLA forces in the U.S. sector.Photo: MARCUS D. MCALLISTER · 1999-06-25 · Domen publik (Public domain)
Pile of automatic rifles and other weapons leaning against a wall and lying on the floor.
Weapons confiscated from the Kosovo Liberation Army, stored at the MSSG-26 compound at Camp Monteith, 5 July 1999.Photo: SGT Craig J. Shell, U.S. Marine Corps · 1999-07-05 · Domen publik (Public domain)
Uniformed men with an Albanian flag pass through a crowd of applauding residents.
Members of the local KLA march through the streets of Koretin to honour Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, 21 June 1999, during Operation Joint Guardian.Photo: U.S. Department of Defense (Defense Visual Information Center) · 1999-06-21 · Domen publik (Public domain)
An armoured vehicle marked KFOR passing through a narrow village street as children look on.
US Marine Corps LAV-25 armoured vehicles escort vehicles carrying KLA members to a location where they could turn in their weapons, 30 June 1999.Photo: Sgt. Craig J. Shell, U.S. Marine Corps · 1999-06-30 · Domen publik (Public domain)
Close-up of a camouflage sleeve with a red patch bearing a black eagle and the letters UÇK.
The UÇK (KLA) shoulder insignia on a member's uniform, photographed by a US Marine Corps photographer on 29 June 1999.Photo: SGT Craig J. Shell, U.S. Marine Corps · 1999-06-29 · Domen publik (Public domain)
An American soldier in a helmet facing a man in uniform and a cap with a UÇK badge, before a stone wall.
US Marine Corps 1st Lt. Julian Gudger, through a local Albanian translator, discusses the location of a possible Serbian sniper with a KLA soldier in Cernica, 23 June 1999.Photo: Lance Cpl. Justin Tyler Watkins, U.S. Marine Corps · 1999-06-23 · Domen publik (Public domain)

Sources

  1. [1]UÇK dhe KFOR (teksti publikuar nga NATO; kopje në UN Peacemaker). Undertaking of Demilitarisation and Transformation by the UCK. 1999-06-20. https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/default/files/document/files/2024/05/990620undertaking20of20demilitarization20and20transformation20by20the20uck.pdf. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. [2]Sekretari i Përgjithshëm i OKB-së. Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (S/1999/779). 1999-07-12. https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/1999/779&l=en&t=pdf. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. [3]Jolyon Naegele. Yugoslavia: Kosovo Liberation Army Undertakes Demilitarization. Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 1999-06-24. https://www.rferl.org/a/1091609.html. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  4. [4]UNMIK — Përfaqësuesi Special i Sekretarit të Përgjithshëm. UNMIK Regulation No. 1999/8 on the Establishment of the Kosovo Protection Corps. 1999-09-20. UNMIK/REG/1999/8. https://unmik.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/regulations/02english/E1999regs/RE1999_08.htm. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  5. [5]NATO. Statement by the Secretary General of NATO on the demilitarisation of the UCK, 21 September 1999. 1999-09-21. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_27523.htm. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Editorial status: Awaiting verificationDrafted from the cited sources; not yet fully reviewed by the editors.

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