Kosovo lies in southern Serbia and has a mixed population of which the majority are ethnic Albanians. Until 1989, the region enjoyed a high degree of autonomy within the former Yugoslavia, when Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic altered the status of the region, removing its autonomy and bringing it under the direct control of Belgrade, the Serbian capital. The move was strenuously opposed by the Kosovar Albanians. During 1998, open conflict between Serbian military and police forces and Kosovar Albanian forces resulted in the deaths of over ....