Members of the former Zagreb Detachment marked May 2nd, 17 fighters gave their lives for the defense of Sarajevo

Centar Municipality marked its holiday on May 2nd, when in the war year of 1992, the buildings of the Presidency and the Municipality were heroically defended from fierce enemy attacks, and thus Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. As part of the marking of the Day of Centar Municipality, members of the former "Zagreb" Detachment gathered on Monday, May 2, 2016, in the premises of the Local Community "Marijin dvor – Crni vrh" to mark this great date and recall the decisive battles for the defense of Sarajevo and BiH, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

Namely, this military unit, whose original name was the "Zmaj od Bosne" Detachment, was formed by volunteers on April 10, 1992, after which, by order of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was renamed the "Zagreb" Detachment – an anti-sabotage detachment of the Regional Staff of the Territorial Defense of Sarajevo. The unit was initially located in Ciglane, and later in the Zagreb hotel, after which it was named.

The detachment had about 90 members who, after the establishment of the unified command of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, became part of the Third Motorized Brigade, which held the zone of responsibility from Dobrinja to Rajlovac.

The president of the Association, Suad Hadžović, recalled the military actions of this unit and its extremely significant role in the defense of the city.

"The unit was founded by volunteers on April 10, 1992, and had about 90 members, of whom 17 gave their lives for the defense of the city of Sarajevo and the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The war path of the "Zagreb" Detachment is best illustrated by the fact that there was no fighter in it who was not wounded at least once. We had a line at Marijin Dvor, we held the Military Hospital, the Presidency, a part of Skenderija and the "Marshal Tito" barracks, and participated in all key battles for the defense of Sarajevo, starting from Trebević, Čolina kapa, in the area of the "Pretis" factory in Vogošća, in the defense of the Presidency building of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at Debelo brdo and Zlatište, at Vrbanja bridge, during the capture of the Military Hospital and the Marshal Tito barracks, at Vrace, Pofalići, Dobrinja, Kasindo. It is the only unit that left full granaries in the "Zagreb" hotel, which was later converted into a station for the wounded and sick. The unit was of regional importance, we went wherever we were sent, even to multiple places a day," said Hadžović.

Among those gathered today was Zarifa Bajić, who, along with her two sons, Halid and Šefko, voluntarily joined this unit, which was then led by the late Enis Srna.

"I joined this unit on April 15, 1992, just a few days after its formation. We were accommodated in the "Zagreb" hotel, and I stayed there until December 1995. Strong emotions connect me to that period, and what I can say today is that I do not want what happened to us during the war period to ever happen again. I cooked for the members of the Detachment, washed their clothes, helped them in the infirmary with the wounded, sent them off on military actions, and eagerly awaited their return. My two sons were in the unit, but there was so much unity and love among all of us that I didn't distinguish the other fighters from my own," recalled Bajić.

After the gathering, members of the former "Zagreb" Detachment paid tribute to the fallen members in the harem of Alipašina Mosque by laying flowers, reciting Fatiha, and observing a minute of silence, especially honoring commanders Enis Srna and Salih Džidić, and General Mustafa Hajrulahović Talijan.