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THE FIRST BIHAĆ CRISIS
Aft er the end of the war between the Croats and the Bosniaks (Muslims) in
Bosnia&Herzegovina, the confl ict between the Serbs and the Bosniaks/Muslims
- previously reduced to a fairly local scale because of the former war - fl ared up
again. Th e focal areas of the confl ict were Sarajevo, Konjic, Kupres, Teslić and Bihać. 49
Th e Bihać area was strategically important for Croatia because it separated the Republic
of Serbian Krajina from Republika Srpska along a considerable stretch (118 km). 50 Th e
ARBiH 5th Corps tied down parts of both Serb armies and prevented their commitment
in other parts of the theatre of war, whether in Croatia or in Bosnia&Herzegovina.
By the end of October 1994 Serb forces waged several major campaigns in the Bihać
area but failed to destroy the ARBiH 5th Corps. Th e winter&spring operation of the
Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) exacted a heavy toll on the ARBiH 5th Corps. 51 Aft er
this operation, from 16 to 21 August 1994 units of the 5th Corps defeated the autonomist
army of Fikret Abdić and entered Velika Kladuša. About 45,600 refugees escaped to the
provisionally occupied territory of Croatia: Turanj near Karlovac, the village of Batnoga
near Slunj and Staro Selo near Vrginmost. 52 Aft er regrouping and rest, the ARBiH 5th
Corps launched the off ensive operation codenamed Grmeč-94. It started aft er a part of
VRS forces pulled out of encirclement and began to advance towards central Bosnia
and the valley of the river Vrbas. Th e off ensive was intended to roll back Serbian forces
at Bihać and free a larger area on the right bank of the Una from Lohovska Brda to
Bosanska Krupa. 53 Th e 5th Corps scored major success, captured the Grabež barracks
and set off in pursuit of the routed forces of the VRS 2 nd Krajina Corps in the direction
of Ripač-Dubovsko-Vrtoče and Dubovsko-Orašac-Kulen Vakuf. Th e Bosniak forces
reached Dubovsko, Lipa and Kulen Vakuf. 54
Although the action of ARBiH was focused only against Republika Srpska, on 26
October 1994 the SVK General Staff took steps in order to prevent possible surprise
49 Hasib Mušinbegović, Remzija Šiljak, Kemo Bećirević, «Operacija Vlašić» (Operation Vlašić), Sarajevo,
1999, 8.
50 HDA, RSK: Stanje i problemi odbrane RSK (RSK Defence - Condition and Problems) (undated material
from early 1995).
51 Embassy of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Zagreb, AMB/ZAG/03-11032/94 of 4 February
1994; Request. B. Felić, “Peti korpus 1992-1995” (Th e 5th Corps 1992-1995), 168-188.
52 VRH, USMP: RSK, GŠ SVK, IKM Muljava, str. conf., no. 1350/27 of 24 August 1994; Operativni izveštaj u
vezi AP Zapadna Bosna (Operational Report on AP Western Bosnia); M. Sekulić, “Knin je pao u Beogradu”
(Knin Fell in Belgrade), 91.
53 Bejdo Felić, brigadir, «Peti korpus 1992-1995» (Th e 5th Corps 1992-1995); Ljiljan, Sarajevo, 2002, 275-
283, 309-316).
54 Ibid., 329-331, 343-344.
51