(25 Nov 1994) Eng/Nat:
As fighting in Bosnia intensifies, the situation for U-N soldiers on the ground is becoming increasingly difficult.
Yesterday (Thursday) Bosnian Serbs detained 55 Canadian soldiers near Visoko in central Bosnia, using them as human shields against possible N-A-T-O airstrikes.
Today (Friday) the Canadians were prevented by Bosnian GOVERNMENT forces from moving equipment and 100 non-essential staff to safer areas after increased shelling near their base.
The U-N decided to strike back by setting up their own roadblocks to stop the movement of Bosnian government forces.
The Canadian soldiers had had enough. After more than 50 of their comrades had been detained by Bosnian Serbs, and their movements restricted by Bosnian government forces, they decided to strike back.
Confronting the local Bosnian officials on a road outside Visoko, the Canadian soldiers announced that they would set up roadblocks of their own, preventing the movement of any Bosnian government forces.
After a short argument the Bosnian government official relented. As the Canadian soldiers returned to their base, they were told that they would be free to resume their planned transport of equipment and personnel to nearby Kiseljak.
Captain Tom Newton explained what happened:
SOUNDBITE:
Last night the BiH police and military set up roadblocks around our camp in a two to three kilometer radius to restrict our movements away from our camp in Visoko. That continued throughout today and we had very restricted access away from our camp to the rest of our area of responsibility. Tonight at 17:00 the commanding officer ordered our troops to set up roadblocks around Visoko to prevent BiH army access in and out of the town. This was seen as a response in kind to the restrictions placed on our movement. At 18:00 when the C.O. Colonel Broff met with the commander of second operational group in Visoko at one of those checkpoints the second O.G.(operational group) pulled down their roadblocks in their area. At 18:45 the commanding officer ordered out roadblocks pulled in as well. So the whole thing appears settled. All roadblocks have been withdrawn and freedom of movement has been restored to both sides in the area.
SUPER CAPTION: Captain Tom Newton, Canadian Army
SOUNDBITE:
It all happened last evening when we indicated to the BiH officials here that we would move non-essential personnel and vehicles from our camp here in Visoko to our other camp in Kiseljak about 20 minutes away. This was done because we had a perceived threat of Serb artillery attack in or around the town of Visoko and possibly near our camp, given the tensions arisen about the Bihac and our detainees on the BSA side. When we told we were going to move troops to Kiseljak they indicated that they would not allow them to pass and after that these random checkpoints were set up in and around Camp Visoko.
SUPER CAPTION: Captain James Newton, Canadian Army
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