Key Facts
- Dates
- 26–27 July 1991
- Primary targets
- Police stations in Glina and Kozibrod
- Human shield use
- Croat civilians from Struga and Zamlača
- War crimes conviction
- Dragan Vasiljković sentenced to 15 years, 2017
- Vasiljković extradition
- Extradited from Australia to Croatia, 8 July 2015
Strategic Narrative Overview
On 26–27 July 1991, SAO Krajina forces launched coordinated attacks on police stations in Glina, Kozibrod, and villages between Dvor and Kozibrod. Rebels captured the Glina station, while in Struga they used Croat civilians as human shields. Croatian Serb forces were halted at Struga before the Yugoslav People's Army intervened, establishing a buffer zone and facilitating the evacuation of Croatian police. By 29 July, police withdrew from Kozibrod as well.
01 / The Origins
In 1991, the SAO Krajina — an unrecognized Croatian Serb entity — was actively contesting Croatian state authority in Serb-majority areas of Croatia. As Yugoslavia fragmented, Croatian Serb paramilitaries and local forces sought to seize territory and eliminate Croatian police presence. The Banovina region, lying between Dvor and Kozibrod, contained several Croatian police stations that represented Croatian government control in disputed territory.
03 / The Outcome
The operation ended with the bulk of Banovina passing to Croatian Serb and JNA control. In its immediate aftermath, Croatian Serb troops killed several Croat civilians receiving treatment at the Dvor medical centre. Croatian authorities later charged Dragan Vasiljković with war crimes for his role at Glina; arrested in Australia in 2006, he was extradited in 2015, convicted in 2017, and released in March 2020.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Dragan Vasiljković.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.