THE ILIJAŠ BRIGADE, ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST CHAPTERS OF THE SERBIAN PEOPLE'S DEFENSIVE STRUGGLE

BIJELJINA, MAY 23 /SRNA/ - The Ilijaš Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army /RSA/ was one of the brightest chapters of the Serbian people’s defensive struggle and the fight to preserve Republika Srpska, it was stated today in Bijeljina during the commemoration marking the 34th anniversary of its formation.

On that occasion, a memorial service was held in the courtyard of the Five Lakes Monastery, where a memorial bearing the names of 1,264 fighters and civilian war victims killed in the areas of Ilijaš, Vogošća, and Rajlovac is located. The ceremony was attended by Republika Srpska Minister of Labor, War Veterans’ and Disabled Persons' Protection Radan Ostojić. Ostojić emphasized that the Ilijaš Brigade was one of the wartime units that made the greatest sacrifice for freedom, given the zone of responsibility, the conditions in which they fought, and the loss of around 700 of its members. He stated that the Serbs defended their ancestral homes, but that it was extremely painful and tragic that, after the signing of the Dayton Agreement, those people were forced to leave the homes they had defended in a terrible exodus. He emphasized that their sacrifice was twofold and can never be forgotten. The president of the association “Friends of Ilijaš,” Milenko Zupur, a soldier of the Ilijaš Brigade and the initiator of this gathering, recalled that the brigade was formed to protect the people of the Ilijaš region. He pointed out that a large number of fighters gave their lives for freedom, while many mothers were left without sons and children without parents. “The result of that struggle is the creation and preservation of Republika Srpska,” Zupur said, adding that the Serbian people are still fighting today to remain masters of their own land. Families of killed and missing fighters and civilians, admirers and friends, as well as numerous citizens, attended the ceremony and laid wreaths at the memorial in the monastery complex. The Ilijaš Brigade, founded on May 20, 1992, was one of the strongest and most honorable units of the Republika Srpska Army, formed by order of the RSA Main Staff. More than 6,300 fighters passed through the brigade, and around 700 gave their lives for the freedom and survival of the Serbian people. During the hardest years of the Defensive-Patriotic War, the Ilijaš Brigade defended the Bosna River valley and the areas around Zenica, Visoko, and Vareš, until the unit was formally disbanded on March 30, 1996, when the Serbian population, under pressure, left Ilijaš.