Destruction of the Old Bridge was part of a campaign to terrorise the people of Mostar, Tuđman demanded elements of intimidation be applied

(Patria) - The destruction of the Old Bridge in Mostar on 9 November 1993 was a shocking piece of news that reverberated around the world. Thirty years later, in the city on the Neretva, it is a topic that evokes painful memories, but also pride that the bridge of unique architecture was rebuilt with the help of the entire world and became a symbol of reconciliation.

The Old Bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and when it was built in 1566, during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, it was the largest arch construction in the world. Its builder was Mimar Hajrudin.

After it was destroyed, the bridge was reconstructed and fully restored in 2004, and a year later it was inscribed on the UNESCO list of protected cultural monuments. Among the donors were the Turkish and Italian governments.

The HVO destroyed the Old Bridge as part of a campaign of shelling and terrorising Mostar. The day before, on 8 November 1993, the HVO began a campaign to destroy the Bridge by firing dozens of projectiles at its arch and towers, which ended on 9 November 1993 with its final destruction.

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Footage hidden for 30 years: Members of the Croatian Army instruct HVO members on how to destroy the Old Bridge in Mostar

(Patria) - The Unique Organisation of Fighters of the City of Mostar (JOB) and the Centre for Peace and Multiethnic Cooperation from Mostar have recently come into possession of authentic film footage containing exclusive material that has been hidden from the public for the past 30 years, until now

Following the publication of 36 transcripts of Franjo Tuđman's conversations, it can be concluded that the destruction of the bridge was part of a deliberate campaign of aggression by Croatia, which, among other things, was reflected in urbicide.

The methods of urbicide and Croatia's aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina are also evidenced by Tuđman's conversation with Janko Bobetko and Roso on 6 November 1993, just four days before the destruction of the Old Bridge.

At one point, Tuđman asks Roso to apply "some elements of intimidation" against the Bosniaks:

"To secure these borders of Croatia, you are authorised to use everything possible, only not chemical warfare agents." To which Roso replies: "The problem is that these charges are of a mixed type, mixed and very large, we cannot separate them, 500 kg, that would chemically destroy an entire city... I am keeping that as a trump card, our people in Bosnia and Herzegovina know about it."

Just four days later, a new meeting, with an urgent topic: the Old Bridge in Mostar has been destroyed.

"Some elements of intimidation" that Tuđman had demanded were applied.

Now Tuđman asks: "Alright, by the way, that Mostar bridge, who destroyed it?"

Mate Boban's answer follows, who made a significant contribution to the history of wartime cynicism: "There were terrible rains." So, the Old Bridge was destroyed by Pero Zubac with his poetry, with his "Mostar Rains." Tuđman is nevertheless cautious, he asks: "Will we be blamed again?" Then an entire strategy of concealing the crime is set in motion: an agreement is reached to contact connections in the Spanish battalion, to persuade the foreigners to lie that the Croats did not destroy the Old Bridge.