SARAJEVO, Feb 6 (Hina) - Two senior Bosnian Serb officers have been investigated on the suspicion of committing war crimes against civilians, after being apprehended by traffic police in the territory of the Federation of
Bosnia-Herzegovina, the head of the Bosnian National Security Office, Bakir Alispahic, told a press conference in Sarajevo on Tuesday.
SARAJEVO, Feb 6 (Hina) - Two senior Bosnian Serb officers have been
investigated on the suspicion of committing war crimes against
civilians, after being apprehended by traffic police in the
territory of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the head of the
Bosnian National Security Office, Bakir Alispahic, told a press
conference in Sarajevo on Tuesday. #L#
The two men were General Dorde Dukic and Colonel Aleksa
Krsmanovic, Alispahic said.
Alispahic did not say where the two officers and their driver,
Radenko Todorovic, had been apprehended, but Serb sources had
reported that the arrest had taken place near the airport in
Sarajevo.
"There is clear and concrete evidence against Dukic and
Krsmanovic that they were involved in war crimes committed against
civilians in the area of Sarajevo as well. We would not have
apprehended them otherwise," Alispahic said.
He also said that the two officers were suspected of killing
or aiding and abetting the killing of a large number of civilians.
The investigation is being carried out by the Federation's
judicial authorities and representatives of the War Crimes Tribunal
in The Hague. The driver, Todorovic, would probably be released
after being investigated, said Alispahic.
A report from the main IFOR headquarters in Sarajevo sent
earlier, said that seven people had been apprehended all together.
Alispahic confirmed that among those arrested on the 20 January
were: Teso Tesic, Petar Todorovic and Dusan Borovic. A large amount
of weapons, hand grenades and ammunition had been found in their
possession at the time of arrest.
They were apprehended during a routine highway check and, as
it was later found out, the three Bosnian Serb forces' members had
killed civilians in Vlasenica, Zvonik, Visegrad, Foca and
Bijeljina. They also were handed over to Bosnian judicial
authorities and the International War Tribunal.
Alispahic said that two more Serbs who were apprehended, Mico
Dosenovic and Milo Bogunovic would be released soon as they were
only witnesses of the crimes.
Dukic was the highest ranking officer in the Bosnian Serb
Forces who was apprehended by the Bosnian authorities. As an
officer in the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), Dukic had been
promoted to the rank of General in 1991, and had been one of two
assistants to Ratko Mladic for some time.
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061730 MET feb 96