Bosnia force fears reprisals
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.International peace-keepers in Bosnia were on guard against a Bosnian Serb terrorist offensive after three attacks yesterday. A US soldier was attacked with a sickle, and grenades were thrown at police monitors and a UN worker.
The international stabilisation force (S-For) moved against war-crimes suspects last week, arresting one and killing another who resisted, provoking protests from the Bosnian Serbs and Russia. On Sunday a bomb went off in Zvornik, which S-For dismissed as an "isolated incident".
"It's still too early to tie these incidents together", said UN international police spokesman Liam McDowell. But the grenade attacks occurred in Banja Luka and Prijedor, in north-west Bosnia where British S-For troops shot war- crimes suspect Simo Drljaca and seized Milan Kovacevic before taking him to face trial in the Hague.
The US soldier was attacked in Kladanj, a Serb-h`eld town on the boundary between the Bosnian Serb "republic" and the Muslim-Croat federation. He was attacked from behind by a man wielding a sickle, a Nato spokeswoman said, and received treatment for a gash in the shoulder. Earlier in the day a hand grenade exploded near the house of UN employee in Prijedor, where Drlaca had been chief of police. On Tuesday another grenade exploded outside an apartment block in nearby Banja Luka, the second city of Serb-held Bosnia, housing officials of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The first sign of Bosnian Serb retaliation against the international presence was on Sunday, night when a bomb damaged OSCE offices and vehicles in Zvornik, on the eastern side of Bosnia. Although the UN maintains yesterday's attacks were also isolated incidents, the possibility remains that a campaign is being orchestrated.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments