32 YEARS SINCE THE FORMATION OF THE FOURTH OZREN BRIGADE OF THE ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA MARKED

MODRIČA, November 1 /SRNA/ - Former members of the Fourth Ozren Light Infantry Brigade of the Army of the Republic of Srpska, which took part in the defense of Doboj, the liberation of Maglaj, and in the "Corridor" operation, marked today in Modriča the 32nd anniversary of the unit's formation.

From its establishment until the end of the war, the brigade had 1,176 fighters, of whom 270 were killed and 700 wounded. The brigade commander since 1993, Novoslav Nikolić, said that by organizing the Ozren and Vozuća units, crimes against the Serbian people were prevented and the connection between the Zenica and Tuzla regions was blocked. "At that time, many were unaware of the great strength of the Muslim forces, who were daily deploying their elite units to conquer this area," Nikolić stated. He emphasized that when the Muslims failed to capture Vozuća and Ozren with their own forces, they engaged foreign mercenaries – mujahideen, whose brutality further terrified the civilian population, and who in the end, in 1995, succeeded in taking the area. Zoran Blagojević, commander of the Assault Battalion of this brigade, recalled that the Serbs, aware of the experience from World War II when the population of that region suffered greatly, had already in 1991 begun preparations to defend the civilian population, property, and the Vozućica Monastery. He told SRNA that during that period, the Muslims were preparing for war, which resulted in the expulsion of Serbian civilians from the municipalities of Žepče and Banovići, and a large number from Zavidovići. Many of them found refuge in Gostović and partly in Vozuća. Blagojević noted that Vozuća was successfully defended until September 10, 1995, when NATO forces destroyed the relay communication center "Kraljica" on Ozren. After that, the only way out of the difficult situation was the exodus of both military and civilian populations from the area of Vozuća and a large part of Ozren. At today's commemoration, it was emphasized that alongside the Fourth Ozren Brigade, Vozuća was defended by the Vučijačka Brigade, 43rd Prijedor Motorized Brigade, Srbac, Prnjavor and Laktaši Brigades, a battalion of the Krnjina Brigade, the Reconnaissance Company of the Doboj Operational Group, the Military Police Company of the 1st Krajina Corps, the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Srpska, parts of the 3rd Krajina Brigade, the Workers' Battalion from Doboj, and the Gostović Battalion. After the fall of Vozuća on September 10, 1995, the brigade continued its wartime path in the defense of the Borova Glava area, and later in the village of Tolisa near Modriča, where it awaited the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. As part of the commemoration, flowers were laid in the Memorial Room and at the Central Monument dedicated to fallen Serbs. The event was attended by the Mayor of Modriča Jovica Radulović, National Assembly of Republika Srpska member Petar Jelić, President of the Veterans' Organization of the Republic of Srpska Radan Ostojić, representatives of the municipalities of Petrovo and Vukosavlje, and numerous residents of Modriča.