Bosniak heroes

[Dzihadovic]

Izet Nanić

Introduction
Izet Nanić, son of Rasima and Ibrahim, was born on October 4, 1965 in Bužim. He was the second of their 7 sons. He was a soldier in the Yugoslav Peoples Army(JNA) until 1992. At the beginning of the agression on Bosnia and Herzegovina he became the commander of one of the most successful brigades in the Bosnian Army - the 505 Bužim Knightly Brigade.

For his service in the war Brigadier General Izet Nanić was honored with the war medal "Golden Lily" in 1994 and post-humorously with the Order of Heroes of the Liberation War. The people of Karjina raised a memorial to him and his brother Nevzet near their native Bužim.

Early Days of the War
At the beginning of 1992 Izet Nanić left the JNA and returned to his native Bužim were he actively participated in organizing a defense and forming some of the first military units. After the death of his brother Nevzet, he decided to take command of the brave people of Bužim. Already by August 1st 1992 he was the commander of the Bužim territorial defense and on August 15th 1992 he helped form the 105 Bužim Assault Brigade which would later turn into the 505 Knightly Motorized Brigade.

"His father was against him taking control of the army, but when his brother Nevzet died, he came home and said: Father, until now I've listened to everything you said, but from now I'm taking this into my own hands, if god wills it, until the final victory." (RASIMA NANIĆ, Mother)

Under the command of Izet Nanić, Bužimljani(people of Bužim), undertook their first offensive operation on October 7th 1992. With barely any weapons they took control over Čorkovaća. The Serb enemy was defeated in a matter of hours and 50 square kilometers of territory were liberated. For commander Nanić this victory was a precondition in the further liberation of territory.

In contrast to many other commanders in the early days of the war, Izet Nanić didn't do classic frontal assaults into enemy lines. Instead of direct clashes with better armed enemies Nanić patiently trained and prepared his men for special and specific war actions for which his brigade would come to be known on the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"We were then preparing and training units for a different form of warfare. The aim was to fully take advantage of combat moral, the surprise factor and knowledge of the terrain. That's how we evened out the disadvantage between ourselves and the enemy. We knew that our enemy, compared to us, was armed to the teeth, but like Izet said in one of his speeches: 'When my fighters come to 50 meters from behind the enemy, then every other enemy superiority disappears. When we are 'eye to eye', 'one on one' with the enemy, that's when the advantage is on our side. With the surprise factor, we win" (SEAD JUSIĆ, last commander of the 505 Knightly Brigade)

Operation MUNJA ’93
It is said that the ones who most remember Operation Munja 93' are the few chetniks that managed to escape alive.

Action “Munja ’93″ began suddenly in the morning of January 11th 1993.
Almost half of the men who took part in this action went into battle without weapons. Many of those who had weapons usually had about 5-10 bullets and a large number of weapons were hunting guns. The first attack groups broke enemy lines and left captured rifles behind so that the next groups could take them and attack further.

During Munja 93' poorly armed soldiers, under the command of Nanić, managed to defeat a much better armed force, kill over 150 chetniks, liberate a large area of territory, and capture a large collection of weapons.

Some of the captured heavy weapons

"There it was evident that the man was imaginative, resolute and confident. After the action "Munja '93" entire Krajina was sure that it got the leader"(ŠEFIK VELADŽIĆ)

Fight against traitors
At a time when the forces of the Bosnian Army fought for the defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina against Karadzic's troops which were joined by a large part of Croatian Defense Council members under the leadership of Mate Boban, on September 29th 1993, the then member of the Presidency of RBH Fikret Abdić joins the side of those who wanted to destroy the Bosnian state. In agreement with Slobodan Milosević and Franjo Tudjman, Abdić takes power in Velika Kladusa and establishes the the so-called Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia. The ultimate goal was to separate the Bihac region from the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

With the fall of Pećigrad as one of the strongest military bastions of Fikret Abdić, his paramilitary experienced a heavy defeat. Extremely favorable conditions were create for the definitive destruction of the artificially created Western Bosnia. Abdić's so called People's Defense was totally shattered.

Commander Izet Nanić with the 505 motorized brigade on 21st August 1994 entered into liberated Velika Kladuša, Abdić's former capital.

Aggressor OPERATION "BREZA"
In late 1994, the enemy directed all their available power towards the Bužim 505th Brigade with the aim to defeat the backbone of the Fifth Corps of the Bosnian Army. The main attack of the VRS(Serb Rebel Army in Bosnia) followed in the early morning of the 4th of September 1994. In the coming days the attacks by Serbian forces become more violent. Defenders did not yield even a millimeter. Enemy forces under the command of a war criminal Ratko Mladić shelled several civilian targets in Bužim, Cazin and Bihać. The Knights of Buzim, in addition to fatigue and a large number of wounded were faced with the problem of a lack of ammunition.

Although in such circumstances it seems impossible, Izet Nanić decided to counterattack. The forces of the 505th Bužim Brigade on the 6th of September passed unnoticed through the lines of the 1st Krajina Corps of the "Army of the Serbian Republic" and successfully executed directly an attack on the enemy command which was led by the Serbian generals Momir Talić and Ratko Mladić.

Thanks to the command of Nanić and his brave fellow soldiers the enemy operation "Breza 94" was stopped. During this action a T-55 tank, large quantities of guns, mortars, military equipment, ammunition and war criminal General Ratko Mladic's jeep were captured. Found in the jeep were military documents for "Operation Breza 94".


Operation "Grmeč ’94"
After completely breaking the enemy operation "Breza", units of the Fifth Corps took the initiative in the wider Bihac front. The conditions were created for the liberation of Bosanska Krupa. 505th Brigade had the most difficult task - crossing the swollen river Una.

No one ever in this area had crossed the swollen river Una. Commander Nanić accepted the challenge. He proposed a plan of action, got approval from superior command of the Corps and as usual completely and successfully completed his task.

The complete battalion crossed the swollen river in small groups at a time in a single rubber boat which two men pulled with a cable. Samir Abazović was the third fighter to cross the river to the other side. He and 70% of the soldiers couldn't swim.

"When we crossed over, the next seven days we all hoped that the battles lines wouldn't fall and that we didn't have to fall back, because because at least 70% of us would drown." (SAMIR ABAZOVIĆ)

The passing of Izet Nanić
Nanić fell in battle while leading his 505th Brigade to join up with and assist the Croatian Army during Operation Storm. For the follow days a sense of grief and sadness was felt in the air.

"It was a shock for this whole area. How? Why? We knew that this was all from God, we accepted that loss as something normal and carried on further like our commander would have wanted" (ABID DURAKOVIĆ)

[dralos]

i have a question are a lot of those heroes dead like with ones in kosova?

[Dzihadovic]

i have a question are a lot of those heroes dead like with ones in kosova?

Some are like Izet Nanic, Nedret Mujkanovic(died after the war), Hakija Mrso, and Hajro Mesic.

[dralos]

Some are like Izet Nanic, Nedret Mujkanovic(died after the war), Hakija Mrso, and Hajro Mesic.

at least they died like heroes not like these orthodogs like ratko and milobitch who got surrounded by their own people to yugo tribal court

[Dzihadovic]

at least they died like heroes not like these orthodogs like ratko and milobitch who got surrounded by their own people to yugo tribal court

Yeah, I don't think there's a better way to die then defending your country.

[RandoBloom]

i have a question are a lot of those heroes dead like with ones in kosova?

Most of the people we write about are dead, since they gave the greatest sacrifice for their homeland

Some are like Izet Nanic, Nedret Mujkanovic(died after the war), Hakija Mrso, and Hajro Mesic.

Excellent article, pleasure to read it

[RandoBloom]

No man from the former war is so talked about, no man has so many songs written about him, and no man has so many legends and brave deeds.
Naser Oric was born in Srebrenica in 1967. When the war started he left the comfortable life he had and returned home, to defend his people.
Early in the war Srebrenica was cut off from free Bosnian territory, and had to fend for itself. The Chetnik beasts cut the water, electricity, as well as food access.
In acts of extreme bravery, Naser raided Serb military camps for food, water, as well as weapons and other things, needed in times of war for years.
The Chetnik losess were staggering. 3 000 Chetniks will loose their lives fighting Naser in just a year of fighting.
The legend was born.


In 1993, faced with extreme losses Serbs accepted to recognise Srebrenica as safe enclave for refugees, and promised to stop the attacks if Naser is disarmed.
That happened indeed. But Chetniks wouldnt be Chetniks, if they dont do evil to the best of their abilities.
While they promised to stop the attacks, they said nothing about water, clothing and food entering the city.
The humanitarian convoys were raided, sacked and looted by the greedy Chetnik animals

Faced with starvation, Naser had to raid again. Kravica, a Chetnik stronghold, recently visited by Ratko Mladic was chosen as a target.
The attack was a briliant sucess. The supply depot was raided, providing tons of food, water, clothing and medicine.

After that came the total de-militarization of Srebrenica, and Naser's career as soldier ended, until 1995, when he led thousands out of Chetnik clutches, saving lives of men, children and women from certain death.

Today songs are sung, and books are written about this great man, and great hero, a man never defeated in a single battle.

His bravery continued after the war. Chetniks raised false alegations of war-crimes commited by this great man. Even while he knew that, he still went to Hague of his own will the moment the arrest warrant was given.
All their lies were proven false, and Naser set free, while the "witnesess" they brought forward to testify, ended up being tried and sentenced for war crimes.



Today, Naser is a family man, involved in agriculture and ranching.



And a great documentary about the post war life of this great hero

[Dzihadovic]

Atif Dudaković (born 2 December 1953) is a former general in the Bosnian army. During the Bosnian War Dudaković was in command of the Bihać enclave that was surrounded and besieged from 1991 to 1995, commanding the 5th Corps. After the war he became the general commander of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina army.

Dudaković was born in the village of Orahova near Bosanska Gradiška. He served in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), teaching at an artillery school in Zadar and a military academy in Belgrade.

After the outbreak of the war in Bosnia, Dudaković joined the newly established Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH). Eventually he became commander of the 5th Corps, defending Bihać. The situation there was difficult as Bihać was surrounded on all sides by enemies of the ARBiH: by the Army of Republika Srpska; by Republic of Serb Krajina; and by forces of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia, the renegade Bosniak forces of Fikret Abdić. The 5th Corps successfully defended the enclave and in 1995 broke out from the encirclement and captured the towns of Bosanski Petrovac, Bosanska Krupa, Ključ, Sanski Most and were on the verge of entering Prijedor and Banja Luka before the United States forced an end to the war.

Under Dudaković's leadership the 5th Corps of the Bosnian Army earned legendary status in Bosnia and amongst Bosniaks.

[Dzihadovic]

Ilijaz Pilav

Two months ago, I was lying on the operating table in a Sarajevo hospital trying not to faint as a tall, stern-looking surgeon probed between my ribs with latex-gloved fingers. He was looking for the right place to make an incision and insert a small tube with which to re-inflate my collapsed lung.

I put on a brave face, but I was really, really scared.

Just minutes earlier, I had come into the surgical ward with pneumothorax – a condition that caused my lung to collapse and required an urgent, albeit small surgical procedure.

But as any patient will tell you, no procedure is ever small if it is being performed on them.

The surgeon was called Ilijaz Pilav. The name sounded vaguely familiar to me, but I could not remember where I had heard it before. As I searched my memory, Dr Pilav announced that he had found the right spot and was ready to make the incision.

“But… but, you will give me a local anaesthetic first, right?”, I stammered in a feeble attempt to conceal the panic in my voice. The prospect of having an incision between my ribs without anaesthesia did not exactly thrill me.

Dr Pilav laughed out loud and said, “Of course I will – this isn’t 1992 any more!”

At first I didn’t understand why he was referring to the year the war in Bosnia began. But then the male nurse proudly informed me who my doctor was – a famed surgeon from the Srebrenica hospital who performed thousands of operations there during the war, many of them with no anaesthetics.

I realised my fear of a simple surgical procedure must have looked very silly to a man with such a background. But if it did, he did not show it, and I was very grateful in my deep embarrassment.

As Dr Pilav used a needle to inject the anaesthetic between my ribs, it suddenly dawned on me why his name was so familiar to me. He was one of the main protagonists in a book I had read several years earlier while covering the Hague trial of Naser Oric, the wartime commander of Bosnian government forces in Srebrenica.

"War Hospital: A True Story of Surgery and Survival", written by American physician and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sheri Fink and published in 2003, was one of the best books I had read about Srebrenica. I remember not being able to put it down until I had finished it. I was amazed at the bravery and resilience of a handful of young local doctors – none of them a trained surgeon – who were trapped along with 50,000 men, women, and children besieged by Bosnian Serb forces in the eastern Bosnian enclave between the spring of 1992 and the summer of 1995.

One of these doctors was Ilijaz Pilav, who was a 28-year old general practitioner at the outset of the war, and became a surgeon and a key figure at Srebrenica’s hospital in summer 1993.

He stayed in Srebrenica throughout the siege, and during that time performed around 3,500 operations.

Unlike other books about Srebrenica, which mainly focused on the massacre of more than 7,000 Bosniak men and boys that occurred when Bosnian Serb forces overran the enclave in July 1995, Fink’s book told the story of Srebrenica from the perspective of the doctors who faced the most intense professional, ethical and personal challenges of their lives during the siege.

Most of Srebrenica’s medical staff fled at the start of the war. Out of its original 45 doctors, pharmacologists and dentists, only four remained in the town when the war broke out. They were later joined by one physician from nearby Bratunac, and another doctor fresh out of medical school.

In the summer of 1992, one of the staff, Dr Nijaz Dzanic, was killed. The five doctors who remained – Ilijaz Pilav, Avdo Hasanovic, Fatima Dautbasic, Branka Stanic and Ejub Alic – had to bear the burden providing care to the 50,000 people in the besieged town.

The challenges these physicians faced were not just a consequence of the medieval conditions at the Srebrenica hospital – no medicine or sanitary supplies, operations carried out without anaesthetic or basic surgical instruments – but also stemmed from their lack of experience and formal surgical training.

They had to cope with huge numbers of people injured by shelling, landmines and bullets. Particularly after heavy shelling from Serb positions around the town, the influx of patients sometimes got so large that the hospital could not accommodate them all. Patients lay in corridors as hospital staff worked for days on end without sleeping, showering, shaving or changing their clothes.

These doctors were also haunted by the fact that in performing surgery without anaesthetics – which the hospital lacked in the first months of the war – they were effectively committing torture, even though they had no other choice and were doing so with their patients’ consent.

“If I would have to single out the worst experience I had during that time, it would be the operations performed without anaesthesia”, Dr Pilav told me in a recent interview.

“I had to talk to the wounded people I was operating on and encourage them to endure the pain for just a little longer, while at the same time I was aware that I myself would not be able to withstand such pain.”

In August 1992, the Srebrenica doctors received much-needed help. An aspiring young surgeon, Dr Nedret Mujkanovic from Tuzla, made it into Srebrenica. In order to aid his trapped colleagues, he spent a week walking on foot through minefields and enemy lines carrying a backpack with basic surgical equipment and medical supplies.

He soon acquired hero status. In just eight months that he spent in the besieged town, Dr Mujkanovic reportedly performed more than 1,300 operations. He was later awarded the Golden Lily, the Bosnian army’s highest honour.

Several months after the war started, the first volunteers from the international group Doctors Without Borders, MSF, came to Srebrenica, bringing urgently-needed medical supplies, but no anaesthetics. According to Dr Pilav, these arrived only months later, in another convoy.

The MSF representatives were shocked when they saw the conditions the local doctors were working in and they did what they could to improve things, from bringing in more supplies and equipment to training local staff including Dr Pilav.

Over time, conditions at the Srebrenica hospital considerably improved.

“We still didn’t have electricity and very often we had to improvise, but at least the situation became bearable”, Dr Pilav told me. “At the beginning of the war, we didn’t have anything, and thanks to MSF, we now at least had some supplies, some medicines, even anaesthetics.”

In the summer of 1995, however, Serb attacks on Srebrenica intensified and the hospital itself became a target. But by then, the doctors had become so used to the shelling that they did not even pay much attention to it while they were at work.

On one occasion, Dr Pilav operated on a patient with explosives injuries to his arms and face and a rupture to his upper arm’s main artery. Just then, a mighty shell blast shook the operating room and shattered the windows. But the surgeon did not move, his hands in the wound still holding a hypodermic needle. As soon as the dust settled, he continued with the operation as if nothing had happened.

When it became obvious that Serb forces were about to take Srebrenica, Dr Pilav and other local doctors and medical staff decided to join thousands of Bosniak men from Srebrenica attempting to break through enemy lines and reach Bosnian government-held territory, some 110 kilometres away.

With just a few hundred weapons, and weakened by three years under siege, the men in the column fought their way over densely wooded hills for five days in grueling heat. They faced artillery barrages, ambushes, and hallucinogenic gas shells, and had to walk through minefields at night.

Dr Pilav will never forget walking through a minefield and hearing the moans of the injured in the dark around him, and not being able to help them.

Bosnian government estimates of the number of men and boys who tried to make it through the enemy lines vary from 12,000 to 15,000, but the exact figure may never be known.

In the end, of the thousands who set off from Srebrenica on July 11, 1995, only 3,500 made it through Serb lines to reach safety on July 16. The rest were either swiftly captured and killed, or were left trapped in the woods after Srebrenica fell. Some of the latter found the way to Tuzla weeks later, others were captured by Serb forces and the rest surrendered.

Dr Pilav and most of his colleagues from the hospital who went with him on this journey – which they later called the Death March – were among those who arrived in Tuzla safely.

After the war ended, Dr Pilav wanted to do something to commemorate friends and relatives who died trying to reach Tuzla, so in 2005 he initiated the March of Peace.

Every July, thousands of people from all over Bosnia and from abroad walk for three days from Tuzla to Srebrenica, using the same route as the men of Srebrenica did in 1995. On July 11, they all gather in Potocari to attend the burial of Bosniak victims massacred by Serb forces after the takeover of Srebrenica.

In 2013, the remains of 409 people including a newborn baby and 44 underage boys will be buried in Potocari, joining 5,657 others who have been interred there in previous years.

Pilav, 49, has been on the March of Peace three times, but he can no longer do so for health reasons.

But as he does every year, he will be in Potocari this week to pay tribute to the victims of the Srebrenica massacre.

“Like most people who survived this genocide, I measure time as running from July 11 one year to July 11 the next year. There is no place on earth where I could be on that day other than in Potocari,” he told me.

Pilav is now head of the surgical department at the thoracic surgery clinic in Sarajevo’s main hospital, and respected by fellow-doctors and patients alike.

While I was his patient, I discovered that behind the stern façade there was a gentle man with quiet good manners and a great sense of humour.

If I had not read “War Hospital”, I would never have guessed that he has seen more human pain and suffering than any person I know. The only giveaway is his facial expression, which changes every time Srebrenica is mentioned – it becomes serious and his eyes become darker.

Although he now lives in Sarajevo, he says that in spirit he has never left Srebrenica.

“War Hospital” ends with a letter Dr Pilav sent to its author Sheri Fink in 2002, in which he said that “although the war is over, I still carry it in me and live with its consequences. The war is over, but the time has not eased the pain.”

I asked him whether anything had changed since he wrote that – whether he had found some peace over the last 11 years.

“The only difference between then and now is that I have learned to live with this pain,” he replied. “I have established some sort of balance between the past that I carry within me and the life I live now. It’s as if I exist in some surreal space between these two worlds, which can never be joined together but cannot be separated from each other, either. And both these worlds are equally mine.”

[RandoBloom]

Mustafa Ostrvica, a 75-yearold volunteer and fighter of Bosnian army.