Prosecution Witness: Dreković Never Ordered Artillery Fire on Civilian Targets

(Patria) - At the trial in the case of Ramiz Dreković, a witness for the BiH Prosecutor's Office, Esad Moro, said that the commander of the Fourth Corps, Dreković, never ordered artillery fire on civilian targets, nor did the operation plan contain such orders, nor were they carried out.

He pointed out that artillery in the area of Bjelimići (Konjic municipality) received orders from superiors to fire on numbered targets. Moro said he was in the Mixed Artillery Regiment (MAP) of the Fourth Corps of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ABiH), and that in the spring of 1995 he was appointed commander of the Corps Artillery Group (KAG), formed for the needs of the Treskavica '95 operation.
The KAG was located at the Vojle site, where mortar weapons were deployed – howitzers, multiple rocket launchers, and cannons. He added that these weapons had their own commanders and crews.
The witness said that he received orders from superiors or the duty officer at the IKM to fire on specific targets. He said that among the superiors he remembers Esad Ramić and Esad Tokić. When asked if he remembers Hamid Selimović and Nedim Hoda, he answered affirmatively.

According to his words, the firing orders included the numerical designation of the target, the weapon to be used, and the number of projectiles. He explained that when he arrived, he found all targets numbered. Referring to the material evidence submitted by the Prosecutor's Office, which stated that an artillery attack was carried out on target 110, he said that the Corps command created targets up to number one hundred, while everything beyond that was done by subordinate units.

Moro said that he did not know which targets were fired upon, and reiterated that orders were issued by superiors at the IKM. The witness answered that brigades could not issue orders for the KAG artillery to engage. Moro agreed with defense attorney Kadrija Kolić that there were several military positions in the Kalinovik area, and that he saw Serbian helicopters flying over towards Treskavica.

He also answered a question from the accused Dreković and clearly emphasized that he never issued an order to fire on a civilian target.

The trial continues on February 11.