On March 8th, the hero of Sarajevo's defense closed his eyes forever: Talijan loved BiH more than anything

He went to Germany to visit his mother and undergo surgery for veins that had been causing him problems for a long time. On March 8, 1998, the saddest news arrived in the Hajrulahović family home in Sarajevo from Hamburg. 

Mustafa had a heart attack. He did not survive. The beloved commander of Sarajevo during the war and a hero of the defense of the city and Bosnia and Herzegovina, he was only 41 years old when he left us, writes the Patria News Agency. 

Shock, disbelief, emptiness… The sad news of Talijan's passing spread through Sarajevo like wildfire.

Talijan was a member of the Patriotic League, a defender of the city of Sarajevo, and was there before the first aggressor barricades. He was the first wartime commander of the First Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a general in the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Many remember March 8th for pleasant reasons, as they spend Women's Day with their loved ones and remember their dear ones. However, for many patriots across BiH, that day 17 years ago was one of the saddest.

A true legend will remain in the memory of many defenders of Sarajevo and BiH, who, in sneakers and a t-shirt, organized the patriots of Sarajevo in the streets and neighborhoods to resist the aggressor against BiH. Only a man who loved BiH with his heart and who did not spare himself could do that. He was beloved among the fighters, spending most of his time with them on the front lines.

Mustafa Hajrulahović Talijan was born in Banja Luka on January 22, 1957, where he finished high school.

After graduating with excellent grades from the Naval Military Academy in Split, he completed training as a naval saboteur, becoming an expert in sabotage at sea and on land.

As the best among the saboteurs, he became a commander of a detachment, and then a division. He continued his professional education, learned Italian, and went to Italy for training.

Some time later, he became a corvette captain. The war in Slovenia found him serving in Split, where he lived with his family. The wars waged by the JNA definitively turned him away from that career, and Mustafa came to Sarajevo.

In 1991, the Patriotic League was being formed in hallways, basements, and gatherings.

Mustafa played one of the main roles then. He was one of the few military strategists who were acutely aware of the evil that was being prepared for our one and only homeland at that time.

He passed on his knowledge and rich experience to the youth. His desire was to train them so they would not be unprepared to face a military force like the JNA was at the time. And he knew perfectly well what kind of enemy they had to confront. He never spared himself for a moment in order to protect his Bosnians and Herzegovinians from the aggressor.

He was beloved among the people of Sarajevo, among the soldiers. Our Talijan was simply impossible not to love. He gave this city and this country everything he could.

He was happy when the war ended. But…. he enjoyed the blessings of freedom only briefly. Death was faster just two years later.