VULIĆ: OPERATION DELIBERATE FORCE – CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY

PALE, SEPTEMBER 6 /SRNA/ – The NATO bombing of Republika Srpska with depleted uranium munitions raises both scientific and moral questions of responsibility, therefor Operation Deliberate Force must be interpreted as a crime against humanity, Georgije Vulić, a research fellow at the Institute of Historical Sciences at the University of East Sarajevo, stated in his SRNA statement.

Vulić stated that the NATO air operation, known as Deliberate Force, carried out from August 30 to September 14, 1995, targeted positions of the Republika Srpska Army as well as many other locations throughout Srpska, representing it a direct military intervention by the alliance in the war in BiH.

“It should be emphasized that this was not the first NATO operation against Republika Srpska Army’s positions; NATO air forces had previously intervened on several occasions to rescue Muslim forces during critical moments when Serb units were achieving significant success,” Vulić pointed out.

He also noted that, alongside NATO aviation, rapid reaction artillery units from Mount Igman took part in the attacks on the Republika Srpska Army’s positions between the end of August and September 14, and that 13 Tomahawk missiles were launched into Republika Srpska territory.

“These operations were aimed at completely breaking down Republika Srpska’s defence, in order to bring the war to a swift end to the detriment of the Serb side,” Vulić said.

According to him, the incident at the Markale marketplace in Sarajevo was used as the pretext for launching the operation, and the Serb side was blamed almost immediately, without any real investigation.

Vulić stated that, given how quickly the operation was launched after the incident, it’s evident the operation had been planned in advance, with only a “reason” being sought. At the same time, NATO member states launched a media campaign to demonize both the Army of Republika Srpska and the Serb people in general.

He pointed out that the total number of casualties in Republika Srpska during the operation remains undetermined, though the names of 47 soldiers of the Republika Srpska Army who were killed in the NATO strikes are known. The number of wounded was significantly higher.

Additionally, five members of civilian labour units were killed, but the number of civilian casualties remains unknown.

“However, the sites bombed, and the age and gender of the victims, suggest that NATO frequently targeted civilian areas unselectively,” Vulić stated.

He stressed that residential buildings, schools, hospitals, and water reservoirs were all among NATO targets, which is in complete violation of international humanitarian law.

Vulić added that historical analysis shows the NATO operation had both military and political objectives.

“Militarily, it enabled breakthroughs by the Croatian Army and the so-called Army of BiH in the western Krajina region, which led to a mass exodus of Serb civilians from the area. Politically, the NATO intervention accelerated the end of the war — but at a cost paid exclusively in Serb lives,” Vulić emphasized.

He underlined the long-term consequences of NATO’s aggression, especially due to the use of depleted uranium munitions, which, according to many medical experts, caused lasting health effects on the population of Republika Srpska. This is evidenced by the sharp rise in cancer cases in the decades following the bombing, a trend that continues to this day.

“That fact, along with the undeniable truth that no one has ever been held accountable for the civilian victims of these attacks, is why NATO’s Deliberate Force operation must be classified as a crime against humanity,” Vulić said, adding that from the perspective of historical science, remembering these events is both a scientific and moral responsibility.

He stressed that NATO bombing of Republika Srpska must have a permanent place in the collective memory of the Serb people, as this is the only way to prevent forgetting or relativization of this criminal operation, which always benefit those trying to minimize or justify the suffering of Serbs.

“The historical memory of these events must be based on documents, facts, and truth,” Vulić concluded.

Republika Srpska obeserves September 9 as the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of NATO Bombing, commemorating the attacks carried out by NATO forces from August 30 to September 14, 1995, without the approval of the UN Security Council.

NATO forces dropped a total of 1,026 bombs on Republika Srpska, including 13 Tomahawk cruise missiles, with the total weight of the explosives estimated at around 10,000 tons.

The official reason for the bombing was the Markale marketplace shelling on August 28, 1995, for which UNPROFOR immediately blamed the Army of Republika Srpska without evidence.

The initiative to commemorate this day began in Andrićgrad on August 26, 2018, at the proposal of the News Agency of Republika Srpska – SRNA.