National Defence of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia

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People's Defense of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia
Narodna odbrana Zapadne Bosne
Founded1993
Disbanded1995
Country Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia
TypeParamilitary
Size10,000[1][2] (4,000–5,000[3] active)
Garrison/HQVelika Kladuša
Motto(s)Živio Babo!
EngagementsBosnian War
Commanders
Commander-in-chiefFikret Abdić
Chief of StaffHasib Hodžić[4]
Insignia
Identification
symbol

The People's Defense of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia (Serbo-Croatian: Narodna Odbrana Zapadne Bosne, NOZB) was a paramilitary unit founded and led by Fikret Abdić that fought in the Bosnian War during the Yugoslav Wars. It served as the de facto army of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia (APZB).

Structure[edit]

Structure of the People's Defense of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia:[1][2]

  • 1st brigade NOZB
  • 2nd brigade NOZB
  • 3rd brigade NOZB
  • 4th brigade NOZB
  • 5th brigade NOZB
  • 6th brigade NOZB
  • Veliko Kladuša brigade

Special Units[edit]

  • The Šejla unit
  • The Ajkini unit
  • The Metal unit
  • The Golubovi unit
  • The Jastrebovi unit
  • The Zenge unit
  • The Husko unit

Other Units[edit]

  • Military police
  • Border police
  • APZB_police Police
  • Recruitment Center "Surovi"

Engagements[edit]

Inter-Bosnian Muslim War[edit]

Main article: Inter-Bosnian Muslim War

Siege of Bihać[edit]

Main article: Siege of Bihać (1992–95)
NOZB soldiers firing an M53/59 Praga
NOZB soldiers in the village of Vrnograč in 1995

From 12 June 1992 to 5 August 1995,[5] the NOZB fought against the 5th Corps and Croatian forces with support from Republika Srpska and the Republic of Serbian Krajina. The Research and Documentation Center in Sarajevo established that the communities that were under siege – Bihać, Bosanska Krupa, Cazin and Velika Kladuša – 4,856 people were killed or went missing from 1991 to 1995.[6] The APZB was wiped out completely during the joint Croatian-Bosnian government army action on 7 August 1995.[7]

Operation Tiger 1994[edit]

Main article: Operation Tiger (1994)

On 2 June 1994, the 5th Corps, under the command of Atif Dudaković,[8] overran and seized the territory of Western Bosnia and Fikret Abdić fled to Zagreb for safety.[9] Around 40,000 Muslims loyal to Fikret Abdić fled to the Republic of Serbian Krajina.[10] The battle was a huge success for the ARBiH, which was able to rout Abdić's forces and manage to push the Serb forces from Bihać and abolish Western Bosnia temporarily.

Operation Spider[edit]

Main article: Operation Spider

On 4 November 1994, commanded by Franko Simatović[11][12] and Jovica Stanišić,[11][12] the Serbs counterattacked against the Bosnian forces, and ended in a Serb victory with the APZB being re-established. The APZB remained in existence until the fall of its key ally, the Republic of Serbian Krajina, and the subsequent end of the war.

Legacy[edit]

In 2013, the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a decision that equated the rights of former soldiers of the NOZB with those of the members of the ARBiH and the HVO.[13]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Ko su bili komandanti Abdićeve poražene vojske: Otkrivamo – gdje su i šta rade Babini vojnici". hamdočamo (in Bosnian). 24 June 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b "ОДБРАМБЕНО-ОТАЏБИНСКИ РАТ 1991-1995: Narodna odbrana Zapadne Bosne". ОДБРАМБЕНО-ОТАЏБИНСКИ РАТ 1991-1995. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  3. ^ Ramet 2006, p. 451
  4. ^ https://hamdocamo.wordpress.com/2012/06/24/ko-su-bili-komandanti-abdiceve-porazene-vojske-otkrivamo-gdje-su-i-sta-rade-babini-vojnici/
  5. ^ "After Long Siege, Bosnians Relish 'First Day of Freedom'". The New York Times. 9 August 1995. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  6. ^ "IDC: Pounje victim statistics". Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  7. ^ Radan, Peter (2002). The break-up of Yugoslavia and international law. Routledge. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-415-25352-9.
  8. ^ Anthony Loyd (February 1, 2001). My War Gone By, I Miss It So. Penguin (Non-Classics). ISBN 0-14-029854-1.
  9. ^ "Republika Zapadna Bosna: hronologija jedne izdaje". historija.info. 5 August 2017. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  10. ^ "FRENCH WITNESSES TESTIFY FOR MILOSEVIC". www.slobodan-milosevic.org. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  11. ^ a b "Covert Operations: Unravelling Serbian Officials' Links To Paramilitaries - Analysis". Eurasiareview. 30 June 2021. p. 4.
  12. ^ a b Stojanovic, Milica (29 June 2021). "Covert Operations: Unravelling Serbian Officials' Links to Paramilitaries". Balkan Insight. p. 1.
  13. ^ "TZV. NARODNA ODBRANA ZAPADNA BOSNA JE BILA DIO AGRESORSKIH SRPSKO-CRGORSKIH VOJNIH SNAGA — Bosnjaci.Net". www.bosnjaci.net. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
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