Siege of Slunj

Siege of Slunj
	Part of the Croatian War of Independence
	; Fall of Slunj under JNA
Date	9 October 1991 – 27 November
Location	Slunj, Croatia
Result	Yugoslav-SAO Krajina victory JNA takes Slunj and surrounding villages; Croatian forces withdraw; Over 16,000 Croat civilians expelled;
Belligerents
SAO Krajina; Support by:; Yugoslavia	Croatia
Commanders and leaders
Željko Ražnatović	Anton Tus
Units involved
Yugoslav People's Army Yugoslav Ground Forces; Serb Volunteer Guard	Armed Forces of Croatia Croatian Army; Croatian Defence Forces
Strength
4.000	2.000
Casualties and losses
50 killed	over 200 killed

The siege of Slunj was an armed conflict in the territory of the municipality of Slunj in 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence.^[1] It was fought between the Croatian Army (HVO) on one side, and the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) on the other.^[2] It was the largest Croatian enclave that was separated from the rest of Croatia during the conflict.^[3]^{[better source needed]} After the JNA took over Slunj, over 16,000 Croats were expelled from the enclave and hundreds were murdered in war crimes during the occupation until the end of the war.^[4]^{[better source needed]}^[5]

The battle

The battle for Slunj in 1991 was part of a wider conflict during the war in Croatia, specifically within the operations conducted by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) against the Croatian Army (HVO). At the beginning of October 1991, the tactical group of the JNA launched an attack from the area of Ličko Petrovo Selo towards Slunj.^{[citation needed]} From 9-10 October, the JNA made an initial breakthrough. During late October and early November, JNA units continued to advance towards Slunj, putting pressure on the HVO. Shots were fired in the city, the HVO fought to hold Slunj, but they did not succeed, and the JNA entered deeper into the city, resulting in a panic in which over 16,000 Croats fled from the enclave to Bosnia and Herzegovina.^{[citation needed]} On 16 November, Slunj fell. Between 16-18 November, JNA forces continued their advance, capturing additional territories and enclosing a Croatian pocket area. By 27 November JNA forces managed to completely capture the Slunj enclave, leading to its fall.^{[citation needed]}

Aftermath

The fall of Slunj represented a significant loss for the HVO, while for the Serbian Army of Krajina this was a strategic success that enabled further operations in the region.^{[citation needed]}

During the Serb occupation of Slunj and surrounding areas until 1995, 297 Croat civilians were killed in several war crimes, most victims were the elderly, women and children.^[4]^{[better source needed]}

References

^ Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict. Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Russian and European Analysis. 2002. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-16-066472-4.
^ "Slunj se sjeća 1991., dan kad su JNA i četnici ušli u grad, a Slunjani izgnani". Radio Mrežnica (in Croatian). 2022-11-16. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
^ Butina, Vlado (2019-11-14). SLUNJ 1991.god. Retrieved 2024-06-22 – via YouTube.
^ ^a ^b Narod.hr (2021-11-16). "16. studenog 1991. Slunj – pad grada i egzodus 16.000 Hrvata". narod.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 2024-06-22.
^ Marinić, Borna (2020-11-16). "The Occupation of Slunj". Domovinski rat. Retrieved 2024-07-08.

[1] Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict. Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Russian and European Analysis. 2002. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-16-066472-4.

[2] "Slunj se sjeća 1991., dan kad su JNA i četnici ušli u grad, a Slunjani izgnani". Radio Mrežnica (in Croatian). 2022-11-16. Retrieved 2024-06-22.

[3] Butina, Vlado (2019-11-14). SLUNJ 1991.god. Retrieved 2024-06-22 – via YouTube.

[narod-4] Narod.hr (2021-11-16). "16. studenog 1991. Slunj – pad grada i egzodus 16.000 Hrvata". narod.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 2024-06-22.

[5] Marinić, Borna (2020-11-16). "The Occupation of Slunj". Domovinski rat. Retrieved 2024-07-08.

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