Defence of BiH - Igman 2017: Tribute paid to all martyrs, preserving the memory of difficult moments

Several thousand people gathered at Veliko polje on Igman to attend the 17th edition of the event "Defence of BiH - Igman 2017". Today they remember the fiercest battles fought between the militarily far better equipped army of the Republika Srpska and the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina during April 1993, reports the Patria agency.

The Serbian army shelled the positions of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina for days, thus gaining a great advantage, but the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina showed unprecedented courage in hand-to-hand combat that took place in the Igman forests. The Serbian army was stopped, and their units were broken up.

The central ceremony began with a prayer for the martyrs of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the War Mosque on Igman.

Former soldiers, members of the families of martyrs, children, and delegations today remember all the martyrs who gave their lives in the defence of BiH.

Reisu-l-ulema of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Husein efendija Kavazović, stated that it was "a struggle to preserve the trust of faith in God, a struggle for life, for each of us and for our dignity".

- Today and in the future, we will remember the difficult moments of this generation, our brave sons and daughters who, with pure hearts and without losing hope in God's mercy, bravely stood before the enemy and defended their people. We must always remember anew the motives and goals that prompted their sacrifice; they were immense and noble. Today, when we remember the battle for Igman, we must realise that it was much greater than this mountain. It was a struggle to preserve the trust of faith in God, a struggle for life, for each of us and for our dignity - said Kavazović.

In his address to the faithful and those present, he said that it is necessary to preserve the memory of difficult but magnificent moments in order to learn from them about courage, dignity and our pride.

On Igman today there is also a group of young people who walked from Hrasnica to Igman, and a parade of war veterans of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was also held.