Defended Proskok, today forgotten: 15,000 of Mladić's soldiers failed to cut the Corridor at Igman

Today, as in previous years, on August 5, at the place where 46 of his comrades lost their lives and more than 200 were wounded, was Himzo Mešić, a former fighter of the 182nd Viteška Brigade. From July 10 to July 31, 1993, with superhuman efforts, they defended the Proskok hill on Bjelašnica, so that Sarajevo would not be cut in two and placed under complete siege, writes the Patria news agency.

At Proskok, the parents of the šehids, former members of the 182nd Viteška Brigade, numerous citizens from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina, politicians gathered....

Himzo and his comrades held a history lesson today. Witnesses, direct participants of the forgotten battle that was then crucial not only for the capital, but for the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The RS Army, 15,000 of them, led by Hague indictee Ratko Mladić, set out on July 10, 23 years ago, to cut the Corridor across Igman, which was the only road into Sarajevo.

- At this place, on July 17, 1993, a little deeper in the forest, our battalion commander, a man above all, Dževad Hanjalić, was killed.

Together with him, his faithful courier Ramo Rahman, nicknamed Šiljo, was killed. I was lightly wounded, had luck, well, I guess so I could now talk about how it all was. On that July 17, the Chetniks broke through at this place and had already advanced some 200 meters into the depth.

We were left semi-surrounded, and Dževad, may he rest in peace, led us to intercept the Chetniks who were watching us all the time. They were shooting at us, one of the bullets hit Dževad. He was alive for another ten minutes.

He told us to send his regards to his wife and son, and he told us to fight to the last and not to surrender, recalls Himzo, who today, with his comrades, among whom were Sakib Pačo and Osman Đuderija, recipients of the „Golden Lily“, spoke to those gathered about the 20 days of heavy fighting.

Due to huge losses, the fighters of the 182nd Viteška Brigade withdrew from Proskok (near the village of Dejčići) on July 31. After the withdrawal, the RS Army took the hill. It was returned under the control of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in December 1994.

The surviving participants of this decisive battle for Sarajevo, the fighters of the 182nd Viteška Brigade, feel forgotten today. Therefore, they founded the Initiative Committee of the Association of the 182nd Viteška Brigade of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina to fight for their rights.

At Proskok today were also the federal and cantonal ministers for veterans' affairs, Salko Bukvarević and Muharem Fišo. They gave statements to the media, and for the first time publicly spoke about the bravery of the fighters of the 182nd Viteška Brigade.

Presumably, the ministers also informed themselves about the difficult life of a large number of other former fighters of this unit of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina who bravely defended Proskok. They are not asking for „more than their fair share“, but only for help to the extent that the ministries and this state are able, so that they can have a normal life and educate their children.

Two-day manifestation "Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina-Igman 2016" 

Today, at Veliko polje and at the War Mosque on Igman, the central part of the two-day manifestation "Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina-Igman 2016" was held. A parade of units of all corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was organized, flowers were laid and Fatiha was recited at the šehid cemeteries at Veliko polje, Mrazište, Brezovača and Sjenička kosa, as well as at the cemeteries in Hrasnica, Trnovo and Pazarić. 

The organizers of the manifestation were the Ministry for Veterans and Disabled Veterans of the Defense-Liberation War of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry for Veterans' Affairs of the Sarajevo Canton, as well as a number of Sarajevo municipalities, and cantonal public companies and institutions.