Why did NATO launch air strikes against Bosnian Serb positions in 1995?

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In 1995, NATO launched concentrated air strikes against Bosnian Serb positions primarily in response to the Srebrenica massacre and a subsequent attack on a Sarajevo marketplace.21

Following the failure of the United Nations to protect the Srebrenica "safe area"—where Bosnian Serb forces perpetrated the genocide of more than 7,000 Bosniak men—the international community faced intense pressure to act. The United States shifted its policy to authorize air strikes if Bosnian Serbs continued to threaten designated safe areas or refused to negotiate a settlement.231

When Bosnian Serbs failed to comply with NATO’s conditions following the Sarajevo attack, the alliance conducted a series of air strikes in late August and September 1995. These military actions, combined with a large-scale Bosniak-Croat land offensive, shifted the balance of power and compelled Bosnian Serb forces to participate in the U.S.-sponsored peace talks that ultimately produced the Dayton Accords.124