Siege of Stari Vitez

Siege of Stari Vitez
Part of Croat-Bosniak War and Bosnian War
Date 16 April 1993 – 25 February 1994 Location Stari Vitez, Vitez, Bosnia and Herzegovina Result Ceasefire ARBiH keeps control of Stari Vitez
Belligerents
Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina	Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia
Commanders and leaders
unknown	Tihomir Blaškić Zlatko Nakić  †
Units involved
ARBiH 325th Brigade	HVO
Strength
several hundred of soldiers	Over 1,000
Casualties and losses
unknown	unknown
Many Bosniak civilians killed or injured

The Siege of Stari Vitez was a siege during the Croat-Bosniak War where the HVO besieged the ARBiH in the Stari Vitez Area. The Siege started on 16 April 1993 and ended on 25 February 1994.

Background

In early April, After the referendum in Bosnia. The Bosnian War started. The ARBiH and HVO fought together against the VRS though tensions were rising as the Bosnian Croats under Mate Boban sought independence from Bosnia. In early October 1992 the Croat-Bosniak War started. On 20 October 1992 the HVO attacked the Barricades near Ahmići. Burning homes and a mosque was shelled. The attack lasted the whole morning in till the ARBiH soldiers ran out of Ammunition and they later removed the checkpoint ^{[1] [2]} . the HVO took control of Police stations in Vitez and with that starting the Vitez fightings. ARBiH was slowly lossing control over the town. By 22 October when the Ceasefire in Vitez was implemented, The HVO had almost full control of the town except for Stari Vitez ^[3]

The Siege

the HVO had laid siege on the Bosniak Majority area of Stari Vitez on 16 April 1993 where around 1,300 Bosniaks lived in the small, kilometer wide enclave ^[4] . On Friday, 16 April 1993 the first fightings began in Stari Vitez at 5:30am. On 18 April the HVO sent a tanker with 500 Kilograms of explosives to Stari Vitez. The explosion happened near a mosque destroying the War office, killing 6 and injuring 50 Muslims. ^[5] . The next 3 months were more peaceful as fighting happened rearly. On 18 July the HVO stopped its offensive on Stari Vitez. During that time Over 300 shells were dropped on the area and the HVO lost 15 men including their commander Zlatko Nakić ^[6] . The HVO threatened the ARBiH that they will Destroy Stari Vitez as a response to the Uzdol massacre. They were given time to retreat from the area, but they didn't and the area was heavily shelled ^[4] .
The HVO on 28 and 29 January 1994 attenpted to assault Stari Vitez from the factory "SPS" but failed. They still shelled the ARBiH from 23 to 25 February 1994 and during that time they told the 325th Brigade to surrender but they refused. The ceasefire was implemented on 25 February 1994 and with that ending the Siege of Stari Vitez. ^[7]

References

1. "Vitez - Sudski utvrđene činjenice iz rata u BiH". 1 August 2022.
2. "Retrospektiva: Šta je prethodilo hrvatskim zločinima u Ahmićima". 21 July 2024.
3. The Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995. Central Intelligence Agency. 2002. p. 159.
4. The Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995. Central Intelligence Agency. 2002. p. 244.
5. "Samo dva dana nakon Ahmića kamionom sa pola tone eksploziva pokušali potpuno uništiti Stari Vitez". 18 April 2025.
6. "Sjećanje na 18. juli 1993: Spomen-obilježje Remiza – simbol odbrane i otpora Starog Viteza - Viteski portal". 18 July 2025.
7. "Stari Vitez- neosvojivi bedem dušmanima".