Key Facts
- Launch date
- 13 September 1995
- Initial advance
- 70 kilometres (43 miles)
- Sanski Most captured
- 12 October 1995
- Launched from
- Area of Bihać
- Concurrent NATO operation
- Operation Deliberate Force (airstrikes)
Strategic Narrative Overview
After an initial 70-kilometre advance, VRS reinforcements halted the ARBiH and counterattacked, threatening part of the 5th Corps near Ključ. The ARBiH requested Croatian Army (HV) assistance, which responded with Operation Southern Move, relieving pressure on Ključ. The reinforced 5th and 7th Corps then resumed their advance, capturing Sanski Most on 12 October 1995. Combat continued for eight days after the planned ceasefire without significant frontline changes.
01 / The Origins
By mid-1995, the Bosnian War had reached a critical phase. The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina sought to exploit momentum from concurrent Croatian and NATO operations against the Army of Republika Srpska. Launched from the Bihać area, Operation Sana aimed to seize key towns in western Bosnia including Bosanski Petrovac, Sanski Most, and Bosanska Krupa, while NATO's Operation Deliberate Force simultaneously struck Bosnian Serb air defences and military infrastructure.
03 / The Outcome
Fighting ceased without a formal battlefield conclusion, and no major frontline shifts occurred in the final days. The operation's gains contributed to the negotiating environment that produced the Dayton Agreement the following month, ending the Bosnian War. Debate persists among analysts over whether ground offensives or NATO airstrikes were the primary factor in compelling the Bosnian Serb side toward peace negotiations.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.