Narodna Odbrana Zapadne Bosne

Fighting & Territory

Struggles for influence among the soldiers began, and many fighters of the 5th Corps of the ARBiH joined the ranks of the NOZB. The autonomists also tried to establish their control in Cazin, but on September 20th, a column of trucks with about 500 soldiers of 5th Corps entered the city, the city remained under their control for a short while. Most of the fighters who defected from the 5th Corps to the NOZB were from the 521st Brigade and 527th Brigade in Velika Kladuša, and later became the backbone of the APZB forces as the 1st Brigade and 2nd Brigade of the People's Defense. And also fighters of the 504th Brigade and part of the 503rd Brigade from Cazin, the 517th Brigade from the town of Pjanići, which grew into 4 full brigades of the NOZB. The 5th Corps of the ARBiH manages to create small enclaves in the narrow territory of the APZB in order to divide the territory, but due to the lack of reserves and the fear of an attack from the rear of the Army of the Republika Srpska, that move fails.

On October 15th, 1993, the Army of the Republika Srpska launched several attacks on the positions of the 5th Corps of the ARBiH, thus creating an opportunity for the NOZB to capture Cazin "without firing a shot" because the main forces of the ARBiH were fighting with VRS. The assault on Cazin was led by Nevzad Đerić "Keđo", Commander of the 4th Brigade of the People's Defense. But the next day, the attacks were stopped, and the NOZB forces withdrew to their initial positions without serious engagement. In retaliation, on October 18th, 1993 the 5th Corps launched an offensive towards Velika Kladusa and the town was shelled, but the Autonomists held off the 5th Corps' offensive. An important event took place on October 22th, 1993, when Fikret Abdić, the President of the Republika Srpska Radovan Karadžić and the President of the FR Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic met, where decisions on mutual cooperation were made, showed a great commitment to normal relations and peace between the Muslim side of Fikret Abdić and the Serbian sides. In early November 1993, 1,500 Autonomists passed through the territory of the Republic of Srpska Krajina and suddenly attacked the 5th Corps from the west, advancing a few kilometers deep along the border of Cazinska Krajina and Srpska Krajina and arriving 10 km closer to Cazin, recapturing the village of Skokovi and advancing a few kilometers south of Velika Kladuša, during these battles the Serbs supported the autonomists with artillery, ammo, manpower and tanks.

By the end of 1993 close to December, the NOZB controlled a third of Cazinska Krajina, numbering the army with 10,000 men, respectively. The NOZB did not have heavy weapons, which presented problems for it to leading larger offensives, but despite this, they significantly reduced the territories of the 5th Corps of the ARBiH, which failed to defeat the Autonomists. By December 1993, the front line stabilized. In the beginning of 1994, the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia occupied 60 square kilometers in the north of the "Bihać pocket" and now had several tanks and dozens of crucial artillery pieces. In the middle of January 1994, the 5th Corps takes over the offensive on the APZB on the central front and advances up to 2 km and occupied the village of Skokovi. On February 16th 1994, the NOZB, with the help of Serbian artillery, launched an offensive against the City of Cazin, but the attack was repulsed. During the spring, there were no major conflicts in the Cazinska Krajina. In June 1994, a truce was concluded with the 5th Corps of the ARBiH and the VRS, then the commander of the 5th Corps, Atif Dudaković, ordered: "all forces on the Autonomists" and it was to his advantage that Abdić did not sign the truce.

The first fall of Autonomy - Operation Tiger - Operacija Tigar Sloboda '94 & more (RBiH Looting and Material Damage)

Operation Tiger-Freedom '94 (June 2nd, 1994 - August 21st, 1994)

A "convert" commander from the 502nd Brigade of the 5th Corps, Hamdija Abdić "Tigar", in total secrecy, he approached Abdić as a dissatisfied military commander who will sell his services and treachery for the right price, Abdić was suspicious but took the risk handing Hamdija a large sum of money and also promising if a fight broke out, he would support Hamdija. He informed Dudaković and he prompted aid workers and soldiers of 5th Corps to start large fires with piles of tires, anything, to create an illusion of burning buildings. He also told his troops to fire in the air to make it seem like fighting is going on. Abdić had been lured into a trap, while he sent his soldiers and resources to Hamdija, 5th Corps were able to seize badly needed weapons, and NOZB had to reroute. 

On June 2nd, 1994 the 5th Corps of the ARBiH carried out a test attack on the line Liskovac - Pećigrad, but the attacks were repelled by a strong counterattack in the direction of the village of Skokovi.

On June 13th, 1994, the 5th Corps launched an attack on Pećigrad, Todorovo and Golubovići, and soon they reached Pećigrad, small but important town on the way to Velika Kladuša. The 5th Corps occupied about 20 km of territory. 

On June 15th and 16th 1994, part of the NOZB managed to stop the 5th Corps of the ARBiH and captured Liskovac in a counterattack.

On June 20th, the 506th and 505th brigades of the ARBiH carried out fierce attacks on the villages of Golubovići and Pećigrad, one of the key defense points of the Autonomists. The bloodiest fighting takes place around Pećigrad, which was surrounded on three sides and defended by the fighters of the 4th Brigade of the NOZB. The defenders of Pećigrad managed to repulse several attacks of the 506th brigade around the city, which is persistently trying to cut off the defenders in Pećigrad, due to the great resistance of the defenders, the advance of the 5th Corps was slowing down drastically.

At the beginning of July 1994, Hakija Abdić appeared in the area under the control of the 5th Brigade of the NOZB. The commander of that brigade was Muharem Ćerimović, who immediately reported the "deserter" from the 5th Corps and began the usual security-intelligence check. Ćerimović suggested to Hakija, after the latter stated that he had about a hundred men who would follow him, that it would be better to bring the entire platoon of his soldiers to the NOZB, but Hakija rejected Ćerimović's suggestion. Hakija, in fact, claimed that he was for autonomy with all his heart and soul and that he does not want to shoot at his brothers from AP Western Bosnia. He persistently asked to be taken to Zahid Abdić, who was the commander of the Territorial Defense of Velika Kladuša, and with whom Hakija was a good acquaintance, even a friend. Hakija could have been this way or that, but it is certain that he was in favor of autonomy both in body and soul. No one has collected more signatures for autonomy than him in the entire area, especially not in Bihać, and these are facts and details that should be known, and which are persistently kept silent when talking about this shameful fraud directed by Dudaković, the Command of the 5th Corps and of the top of the SDA. Zahid accepted Hakija, who stayed with him in the Headquarters of TO Velika Kladuša and his house, and Hakija held a series of peace talks with people in the collection centers, explaining that every inter-Muslim conflict and fratricidal war should be stopped. Hakija estimated that he could possibly influence Dudaković through his brother Hamdija to start negotiations and to end the war operations of the 5th Corps and NO AP ZB. Rasim Bašić, who worked as a security guard in NO, Irfan Saračević, who was then the head of CSB Bihać, Hakija Abdić and Zahid Abdić took over the complete agreement on how to reach an agreement with Dudaković. When they explained the plan to me and said that Bašić would lead the negotiations, I refused and suggested that there should definitely be negotiations, but that the negotiating team should only include Bišćans, i.e. Bašić and Saračević, and that Fikret Abdić's chief of staff Arif Vuković and driver Ibrahim Behrić should join them, who was the only one not from Bihać, but from the area of the Cazin municipality and from the part that was under the control of the 5th Corps.

On July 7th, 1994, Bosnian and Western media reported that the French battalion of UNPROFOR blocked access to the city of Bihać, where their base was located in order to protect their own security due to alleged attacks by rebels in the ranks of the 5th Corps which was faked by the 5th Corps themselves because they needed an alibi for everything that happened in the meantime done. They also speak of an uprising in the ranks of the 5th Corps of the ARBiH under the pretext that they will not fight against compatriots of the same faith, which will later turn out to be a well-planned tactical deception.

On July 9th, 1994, fighting continues on the line Krivaja - Čajići, where the artillery of Serbian Krajina help the Autonomists in the fight.

On July 11th, 1994 part of the brigade of the 5th Corps of the ARBiH crossed into Serbian Krajina in the hope of destroying the SVK artillery battery that was helping the Autonomists, within three days the attackers of the 5th Corps were repulsed with heavy losses in their ranks. Fikret Abdić believed the fraud that a rebellion had broken out in Bihać and that 500 to 2,000 fighters wanted to join the NOZB. The French battalion of UNPROFOR actively participated in that fraud, which blocked their base due to fictitious rebels in order to cover up the fraud as well as possible, they also reported on the attacks of the rebels in the town of Izačić, although there were no attacks there. 

Structure of the People's Defense of Western Bosnia (1993 - 1994):

1st Brigade NOZB, commanded by Zumret Brkić "Kobra"
2nd Brigade NOZB
3rd Brigade NOZB, commanded by Osman Čaušević
4th Brigade NOZB, commanded by Nevzad Đerić "Keđo"
5th Brigade NOZB, commanded by Muharem Čerimović "Hare"
6th Brigade NOZB, commanded by Sead Talakić "Ceco"

7th Brigade NOZB

Structure of the People's Defense of Western Bosnia (1994 - 1995):

1st Brigade, commanded by Izet Latić "Izo"

2nd Brigade, commanded by Zumret Brkić "Kobra"
3rd Brigade, commanded by Asim Bašagić "Zenga"

In addition, NOZB had several units for special purposes (reconnaissance, special fighting, house clearing operations, etc.):

The Šejla unit, commanded by Ismet Gračanin "Ćićmo"
The Ajkini unit, commanded by Hasan Galijašević "Ajkin"

The Metalni unit, commanded by Ramiz Rizvić "Metalni"

The Golubovi unit, commanded by Zlatko Hušidić
The Jastrebovi unit
The Zenge unit, commanded by Besim Muhamedagić "Zenga"
The Husko unit
The Orlovi Pravde unit, commanded by Jasminko Dizdarević "Jakić"

The Jakić Reconnaissance-Diversion Company, commanded by Jasminko Dizdarević "Jakić"
The Otpisani Special Operations Platoon
The Crne Pume Reconnaissance-Diversion Company, commanded by Mirsad Mešić
The Keka Intervention Platoon, commanded by Edin Kekić "Keka"
The Kerovi Special Police unit
The Zmajevi unit, commanded by Hašim Latić "Zmaj"

The OBL (Obezbjeđenje Objekata i Lica) unit

The Training-Recruitment Center "Surovi"

The main commander was Asim Delić, who was a reserve officer in the former JNA, his deputy was Hamdija Mašić. The chief of staff was Hasib Hodžić. In addition, Rasim Bašić performed the duties of chief of security.

There were three tactical groups, the first of which was under the command of Fikret Abdić, the second under the command of Milorad Ulemek "Legija" and the third under the command of Radojica Božović, known as Kobac. The headquarters of the operation command was in Petrova Gora

The command of Operation Spider was established on November 6th, 1994 in Petrova Gora, after which by the end of 1994, Serbian and Abdić forces occupied Velika Kladuša. The units of the 5th Corps, led by the 505th Bužim Brigade, leave the town center of Velika Kladuša due to the unfavorable military situation in December. The units of the 5th Corps moved from urban fighting to fighting in the mountainous environment in the villages south of Velika Kladuša, which was an aggravating aspect of the battle because the Serbian forces were finally able to intensively use artillery, which they could not use during the city fighting. During further fighting on Prokres Hill, IDČ commander of the 5th Corps, Jasmin Kulenović "Havarija", was killed. The forces of the 5th Corps stopped the further advance of the Serbian and Abdić's forces on the line Johovica-Donja Lučka-Podzvizd. The further focus of the attack was towards the line of the 505th Bužim Brigade. Until March 1995, there were battles for the villages of Podzvizd and Kumarica, which are located in the area towards Bužim. 

In March 1995, the 505th Brigade broke through the line towards Velika Kladuša and entered deep into the village of Polje. The forces of the 505th Brigade, supported by units of the 502nd Brigade and 1st Bosnian Liberation Brigade, invaded the area. NOZB, supported by Serbian forces, occupied the village of Kumarica and brought the units into the environment. The forces of the 5th Corps retreated towards the village of Kumarica, broke through Fikret Abdić's lines and withdrawed from the encirclement in the direction of Vrnograč. In the end of spring 1995, Fikret Abdić and his allies occupied Vrnograč and approached Bužim. During these battles, the Johovica-Gornja Vidovska-Donja Lučka line was inactive, and there were no operational actions on this line by either side, as the center of gravity of the operation was towards Bužim, the forces are concentrated on the line Bosanska Bojna-Zborište-Crvarevac-Šestanovac, and the biggest battles on this line took place in the town of Žuta Zemlja.

The People's Defense of Western Bosnia and Serbian forces broke through these lines and pushed the 505th Brigade to the back line of the defense of Bužim near Pehovo Hill, where the decisive battles for Bužim took place. At the end of July 1995, Abdić's forces broke through the line near Johovica and penetrated towards Cazin. By August 4th, 1995, they emerge on the Tržac-Krivaja-Čajići-Skokovi line and arrive in front of the City of Cazin. On the night of August 4th to 5th, the Serbian paramilitary formations he commanded retreated from these areas. Franko Simatović, and the forces of Fikret Abdić remain alone in the fight against the 5th Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia & Herzegovina. Fikret Abdić re-established the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia in Velika Kladuša, after which he occupied the territory almost as far as Cazin. On July 26th, 1995, independence from the government of the Republic of Bosnia & Herzegovina was declared by Fikret Abdić and the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia was renamed to the Republic of Western Bosnia (Bosnian: Republika Zapadna Bosna) after the declaration. The price of this were great losses on both sides, population displacement and structural damage. The operation was suspended due to the start of Operation Storm by the Croatian Army in August 1995.