Bosnians mark wartime defense of Igman Mountain

By Sanela Crnovrsanin and Vesna Besic

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Around a thousand Bosnian military veterans marched in Sarajevo on Friday to commemorate the wartime defense of Igman Mountain against Serb forces.

The veterans were joined by victims’ families and other marchers to mark the 24th anniversary of the defense which impeded Serb plans to take Sarajevo.

The defense of this mountain was "the struggle of life and honor to preserve God's trust," Bosnian religious leader Husein Kavazovic told the commemoration after Friday prayers.

A military imam, Nesib Hadzic, said: "We want to remember the genocide against the Bosnians, the remembrance of our heroes, our golden lilies, our veterans, our soldiers and those who contributed to the defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina."

Between April 1992 and December 1995, an estimated 100,000 people were killed and 2.2 million displaced in Bosnia. Up to 50,000 women, mostly Bosniak, were raped.

The Bosnian War was sparked by the break-up of Yugoslavia, which led Bosnia to declare its independence in February 1992.

Its capital, Sarajevo, came under attack from Bosnian Serb militias backed by the Yugoslav army in what became the longest siege in modern history.