33RD ANNIVERSARY OF BANJ BRDO BATTLE TO BE MARKED TOMORROW

BIJELJINA, APRIL 20 /SRNA/ – The 33rd anniversary of the Battle of Banj Brdo, in which 33 fighters of the Second Majevica Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army were killed in an attack by forces of the so-called Army of BiH, will be marked tomorrow in the village of Potraš on Mount Majevica and at the cemetery in Pučile in Bijeljina.

The President of the City Veterans' Organization Miodrag Stevanović said the battle took place on April 21, 1993, when strong diversionary units attacked Serb positions on Easter.

Stevanović said that Serbian soldiers didn't expect the heinous attack by the so-called Army of BiH forces that resulted in the deaths of 33 Serb fighters of the Second Majevica Brigade.

"Many of them were mutilated and massacred, which only confirms the level of hatred with which they treated our fighters and the population of Republika Srpska," Stevanović said at a press conference.

He added that the aim of the attack was to capture Banj Brdo and Ugljevik and to make a breakthrough toward Semberija in order to split Republika Srpska in two, but that Serb forces defended the area.

Dragan Mrkajić, a company commander in the First Battalion of the Second Majevica Brigade, said he participated in the battle, which began at dawn with heavy artillery fire followed by infantry attacks.

He noted that fighting lasted until the afternoon, when Republika Srpska Army and police reinforcements arrived and pushed back the attacking forces.

Milenko Mićanović, president of the Tuzla Natives Association in Bijeljina, said that many people from Tuzla lost their lives on Mount Majevica.

Mićanović stated that ceremonial academy titled "Preserving the Memory of Our Heroes" will be held tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Sokol House in Bijeljina, with the descendants of those killed taking part as well.

According to the City Veterans' Organization, a memorial plaque will be unveiled and consecrated tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at the Church of St. Mark in Potraš.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. at the monument in the Pučile cemetery, followed by the laying of wreaths and flowers at 1:15 p.m.