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You mixed almost everything from History (at least this part about Croats/Catholics in Herzegovina).
First of all, of what kind of Vlachs are you talkin about in Herzegovina before Ottomans? Do you know from where term Vlach derrives?
EVERY ROMAN CITIZEN after fall of Roman Western Empire was called Vlach (Valonia-Belgium, Wales-UK etc...) by Slavic and Germanic tribes, so Vlachs of Herzegovina were LONG TIME AGO slavicized and mixed with Slavs, 600-700 years before arrival of Ottomans to entire BiH.
So you are mixing THEM with those Vlachs ("black" vlachs-MoroVlachs, black in terms of clothes) which were brought by Ottomans (they were invaders for Ottomans, who would wage war like guerilla and then Ottomans would came), they were mainly of Orthodox religion, even Italian writer Alberto Fortis wrote about this in 18th century.
Ottomans HATED CAHTOLICS because of Pope, they wanted exterminate every Catholic presence in their conquered lands, but they made a deal with Orthodox people (for example with Serbian church), that Orthodox Christians can keep their religion but they will pay bigger taxes, this is well known fact.
Back to Orthodox Vlachs, those same Orthodox Vlachs which were brought by Ottomans from every corner of Balkan peninsula, suddenly became "Serbians" in late 19th century because of religion (and they already ofcourse spoke slavic for 400 years), Belgrade manipulated with them very well, and the paradox is that today they are "greatest Serbs" than real Serbians. (No offence to anyone).
P.S: Not all Serbians western of Drina are descendants of those Vlachs, but majority or at least half of them are, and that is a fact, a history fact which I can prove this with Austrian and Italian documents from history.
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