30 years since the crime committed by the Croatian Army and HVO on Mount Vranica

(Patria) - On this day exactly 30 years ago, forces of the Croatian Army and the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) committed a crime on Mount Vranica, massacring 68-year-old woman Ziba Musa during the execution of what was then the largest military operation aimed at capturing Gornji Vakuf and creating conditions for further military actions toward Bugojno and the rest of central Bosnia.

From the early morning hours of November 15, forces of the Croatian Army and HVO began a large-scale attack in the area of Gornji Vakuf, and a group of eight fighters from the special unit of the Croatian Army "Matija Vlačić" was tasked with seizing the area of Mount Vranica that gravitates toward Gornji Vakuf.

Around 1:00 PM, this group of soldiers broke into the Poljana area, where there were structures used by locals for livestock. In one of the structures, 68-year-old Ziba Musa was found, whom the Croatian soldiers tortured, then killed and mutilated, writes Slobodna Bosna.

After the murder, the old woman's throat was cut, her ears, on which she wore earrings, were cut off, as well as the finger on which she wore a ring. The severed parts of her body were found in the pocket of Tihomir Burić from Split, a member of the special unit "Matija Vlačić".

The perpetrators of this crime were later surrounded by members of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in the two-hour battle that followed, all were killed - Goran Apica from Sinj, Tihomir Burić from Split, Pavo Ivoš from Sebešić (Novi Travnik), Dražen Krišto from Livno, Zvonimir Sikirić from Zadar, Pero Vikić from Livno, and Miro Protuđer from Uskoplje.

No one was ever held accountable for this crime under command responsibility.

Support from the Croatian leadership

The November operation on Gornji Vakuf was planned, prepared, led, and directly supported by the military leadership of the Republic of Croatia.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Army, General Janko Bobetko, personally issued guidelines to the Chief of the General Staff of the HVO, General Ante Roso, for the preparation and organization of the operation to capture Gornji Vakuf, and personally monitored the dynamics of combat operations.

The order for the operation was issued on November 9 by General Ante Roso, and General Žarko Tole issued an order on November 13 for the execution of the attack by HV and HVO forces included in the Operational Group "Buna".

The orders were preceded by a meeting on November 6 between Croatian President Franjo Tuđman and representatives of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia, at which the necessity of the military capture of Gornji Vakuf was decided.

Failed operation

Almost all commanders who participated in this failed HV and HVO operation were decorated after the war by the state leadership of the Republic of Croatia. The last among them - Ivan Kapular, commander of the main direction of the attack on Gornji Vakuf, was decorated by President Zoran Milanović.

Also, last month, a ceremony was organized at Pantovčak during which the Special Unit of the General Staff of the HV "Matija Vlačić", whose members participated in the crime on Mount Vranica, was decorated.

It was awarded the "Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski" for, as stated, "heroism and a heroic act in the Homeland War", and the award and flame were received by the wartime battalion commander Ante Maksan and battalion member Željko Ravlić.

According to available data, the following forces participated in the offensive on Gornji Vakuf during November 1993:

- from the Croatian Army: the "Matija Vlačić" battalion, the "Zrinski" battalion, the Diversionary-Reconnaissance Detachment of the General Staff of the HV, the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Guards Brigade, the 1st Battalion of the 7th Guards Brigade, the 5th Home Guard Regiment - Osijek, the 11th Home Guard Regiment - Vinkovci, a helicopter squadron, a military police unit from the 66th Battalion of the VP, a communications unit from the "communications regiment", a platoon of military intelligence forces, and part of the officers of the General Staff of the HV and the Split Military District;

- from the HVO: the "Dr. Ante Stračević" Brigade, the "Rama" Brigade, the "Stjepan Radić" Brigade, the "Petar Krešimir IV" Brigade, the "Ante Bruno Bušić" Regiment, the "Ludvig Pavlović" Regiment/Battalion, the "Lašva Battalion", the "2nd Light Assault Military Police Battalion", the Artillery-Missile Division of the Tomislavgrad Military District, the Tank Company of the Tomislavgrad Military District, and other smaller reconnaissance, diversionary, military police, special, engineering, and similar units.