Croatia: Celebrations mark 26th anniversary of War of Independence decisive battle

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Official celebrations were held in Knin on Thursday to mark the 26th anniversary of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day.

The anniversary, which is a public holiday in Croatia, commemorates ‘Operation Storm’, the last large battle held during the Croatian War of Independence.

“Dear defenders of our state, the victims of the Homeland War permanently oblige us to strengthen the Croatian state in every respect - political, economic, defence and security,” stated Andrej Plenkovic, Prime Minister of Croatia.

Operation Storm began on August 4 1995, with a military offensive by the Croatian army and police to re-take control of areas of Croatia that had been seized by Croatian Serb paramilitary forces and become part of the self-declared entity Republic of Serbian Krajina.

The Croatian forces captured Knin, a Republic of Serbian Krajina stronghold, on August 5, 1995, during the Croatian War of Independence.

The victory followed a large-scale military offensive dubbed Operation Storm and has been celebrated by Croats ever since.

Over the course of the operation, over 250,000 Croatian Serbs were displaced from their homes into neighbouring Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina amid news of violent crimes being committed against civilians.

The military operation ended on August 7 1995, with the number of casualties - both military and civilian - being a disputed subject by both sides.

Serbian sources say that some 2,000 civilians were killed during and just after Operation Storm, while on the other hand, Croatian sources believe the number of civilian deaths was around a quarter of that.

“This day is important because of my fallen comrades who perished,” said Ante Burazer, a veteran.

The outcome of the fighting has been a difficult chapter in Croat-Serb relations for years to follow and is a time of mourning for Serbs.
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