31 YEARS SINCE BRUTAL KILLING OF 21 SERB SOLDIERS IN ČAKLE COMMEMORATED

ISTOČNA ILIDŽA, OCTOBER 6 /SRNA/ – In the village of Čakle, located in the Trnovo municipality within the Federation of BiH, a commemoration was held marking 31 years since the killing of 21 soldiers from the Second Sarajevo Light Infantry Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army, who were brutally killed in their sleep in a UN-protected zone during a ceasefire.

On the occasion, family members of the Serb victims and representatives of the war veterans organisation Ilidžanski Borac laid flowers and wreaths at the killings site in Čakle. Before that, a divine liturgy and memorial service were held at the Church of St. Peter of Sarajevo in Vojkovići for the fallen and deceased soldiers. Saša Škobo, the chair of the Ilidžanski Borac Presidency, told SRNA that among those killed at Čakle were also nurses and a logistics unit responsible for road maintenance and cleaning. He said that Muslim forces violated the ceasefire and committed a massacre against innocent Serbs. Škobo noted that Ilidžanski Borac has been trying for years to build a memorial at the Čakle site, but the federal authorities continue to block the effort, claiming the site is private property. He announced that the organisation would now insist on a memorial to be built in Krupac to honour the innocent and brutally killed victims of Čakle, pending approval from local authorities in Trnovo and Istočna Ilidža. "We will keep coming here every year to prayerfully remember our Serb heroes and heroines," Škobo said. Ljiljana Milić, Deputy Mayor of Trnovo Municipality, told SRNA that today 31 years ago, members of the so-called Army of BiH, with the support of UNPROFOR, violated the ceasefire agreement and committed a war crime in Čakle against Serb soldiers and medical personnel, a crime for which no one has been held accountable to this day. She reminded that 121 soldiers and 101 civilians from the Trnovo municipality gave their lives for the defence of Republika Srpska. On October 6, 1994, at around 5:00 AM, members of the so-called Army of BiH violated the ceasefire and attacked a tent housing the command unit, engineering unit, and medical staff of the Second Sarajevo Light Infantry Brigade. The attacked soldiers had no opportunity to defend themselves, and among those killed were two nurses.