SERB SOLDIERS AND PEOPLE BRAVELY RESISTED CROATIA’S FINAL OBJECTIVE

KOSTAJNICA, SEPTEMBER 18 /SRNA/ – The final goal of the Croatian Army was to expel the Serb people from Republika Srpska across the Drina River, but brave Serb soldiers and the Serb population resisted this, said Minister of Labour, War Veterans and Disabled Persons Protection Danijel Egić today in Kostajnica, where the 30th anniversary of the defence of Srpska's northwestern borders is being marked.

Egić emphasized that the defence of Kostajnica was one of the major battles of the Defensive-Patriotic War.

"Thanks to the Republika Srpska Army and the people who organised themselves against the sudden attack of the Croatian Army, we defended this part of our homeland. Great respect goes to the families of the fallen and to the surviving defenders," Egić said.

He pointed out that the Croatian operation was coded “Drina” because the ultimate goal was to drive the Serbs from their homes across the Drina River.

“It wasn’t enough for them to have emptied Republika Srpska Krajina; they wanted and intended to do the same here. But the people and the army organised and defended this area, which is why we are here today,” Egić said.

Today, the central commemoration of the Day of Defence of the Northwestern Borders Republika Srpska from Croatian Aggression is being held in Kostajnica.

A memorial service was held in the city park for the fallen Serb soldiers and civilians, and wreaths were laid at the memorial dedicated to those killed in the Defensive-Patriotic War.

Jelena Dalmacija, whose mother was killed in front of her eyes during the Croatian Army’s attack, said that even after 30 years, the pain remains.

"Growing up without one parent was hard for both my brother and me. We remember that day with sorrow, but also with gratitude because we stayed in Republika Srpska," Dalmacija said.

On the early morning of September 18, 1995, just before the end of the war, the Republic of Croatia launched a special forces attack on the northwestern borders of Republika Srpska, aiming to penetrate across the Una and Sava rivers into the municipalities of Kozarska Dubica, Kostajnica, and Novi Grad, with the goal of eventually capturing Prijedor and Banja Luka.

By the evening of September 19, the Republika Srpska Army achieved one of its greatest victories, which proved to be decisive for the preservation of the Republic and the overall military and political resolution of the war in BiH.

The two-day defence of Novi Grad, Kostajnica, and Kozarska Dubica, on September 18 and 19, 1995, is considered one of the key battles of the Defensive-Patriotic war, during which 51 members of the Republika Srpska Army and 56 civilians were killed. Another 62 soldiers and 39 civilians were wounded.

These border municipalities suffered material damage estimated at BAM 627 million.

In the Kostajnica area alone, five civilians were killed. Among them were Janjka Kukrika, Milan Mijuk, and Hata Bešić, who got killed in shelling. Boško Maksimović and his 17-year-old son Dražen were killed in Novi Grad.

The Day of Defence of the Northwestern Borders of Republika Srpska from Croatian Aggression in 1995 is a republic-level historical event, organised by the Committee for Nurturing the Traditions of Liberation Wars of Republika Srpska.