BANJ BRDO BATTLE COMMEMORATED IN POTRAŠ

LOPARE, APRIL 21 /SRNA/ – In the village of Potraš near Lopare, a memorial plaque was unveiled and consecrated today for fighters who fell 33 years ago in the Battle of Banj Brdo, which, as stated, helped secure Majevica and Podmajevica and prevented an enemy advance toward Semberija.

Muslim forces launched an artillery attack in the early morning hours on Easter Day in 1993 against the command of the Second Majevica Brigade, followed by infantry assault, during which 33 members of the brigade were killed.

Fighters, comrades, families, friends and descendants today paid tribute to the fallen, laid wreaths, and unveiled a new memorial plaque, as the previous one had disappeared.

Wartime commander of the Second Majevica Brigade Jovica Marković told reporters that the Battle of Banj Brdo was the most difficult operation in the brigade's area of responsibility.

He said the enemy managed to surprise Serb units through coordinated attacks from the front and in depth, initially targeting the command and then other positions.

Marković added that the enemy had initial success, but once Serb forces regrouped, a counterattack was launched and by 6 p.m. all positions were retaken and the brigade's sector re-established as it had been before the attack.

"However, we suffered heavy losses - 33 killed, 32 seriously wounded, and 10 fighters were captured," Marković said.

He stressed that the Serb people in this area defended their territory on the Majevica battlefield, suffering heavy losses but also achieving victories, ultimately securing freedom and remaining on their ancestral lands.

President of the Lopare Veterans' Organization Risto Radić said it was one of the decisive battles on Majevica, when units of the First and Second Majevica Brigades, supported by MOI members, carried out the de-blockade of positions in the Banj Brdo area and wider Majevica region.

He remembered that before the attack, a strong "terrorist group" struck the command of the First Battalion of the Second Majevica Brigade, causing significant losses and affecting morale among Serb fighters.

Danijela Simeunović Panić said she lost her father Slavko in this battle and, together with other families, continues to preserve the memory of the fallen.

The commemoration will continue in Bijeljina at the Pučile city cemetery at 1:00 p.m.