- Title: BOSNIA: BOSNIAN TROOPS BLOCK CANADIAN U.N. TROOPS AT THEIR BASE
- Date: 20th June 1995
- Summary: VISOKO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (JUNE 20, 1995) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV CANBAT 2 SIGN AND CANADIAN UNITED NATIONS TROOPS INSPECTING WEAPON 0.16 2. SCU LIEUTENANT COLONEL DAN REDBURN SAYING AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED THE CRISIS IS BECOMING WORSE AND I HAVE 600 MEN IN THE COMBAT ZONE (ENGLISH) 1.06 3. SV VARIOUS OF CANADIAN U.N. TROOPS 1.20 4. SCU REDBURN SAYING THEY HAVE THREATENED TO DESTROY THE CAMP IF THE BLOCKADE IS DISRUPTED (ENGLISH) 1.33 5. SV U.N. TROOPS AT CAMP 1.38 6. SV ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIER DOWN ROAD 1.51 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 5th July 1995 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: VISOKO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
- City:
- Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Reuters ID: LVAC61FOSNA9KQYK7BJ4RCBOI4I5
- Story Text: Bosnian government forces have blocked Canadian United Nations (U.N.) troops at their base in central Bosnia and threatened to shell it if they try to move, the U.N. said on Wednesday (June 21).
Captain Jacques Poitras, U.N. spokesman in Visoko, told Reuters by telephone the Bosnian army had placed mines and several armoured vehicles in front of the Canadian headquarters in Visoko on Tuesday.
Lieutenant Colonel Dan Redburn, Commanding Officer of the Canadian unit in Visoko, said on Tuesday his men were in effect hostages at their own base, held by the Bosnian government army.
Redburn said some 600 men were at the so-called Canbat-2 base.
He added that he had asked for clarification of the situation by Bosnian army commanders but had been told by a liaison officer that any attempt to break out from the base or remove mines may bring about severe retaliation. Redburn said the liaison officer had told him the base would be blown up.
A U.N. helicopter landed in Visoko on Tuesday but the Bosnian army said it would shoot at any others that approached.
Visoko is a government stronghold some 40 kms (24 miles) east of the besieged capital Sarajevo.
The Moslem-led government army launched an offensive last week apparently aimed at easing Serb strangulation of the city. It probed Serb positions on several locations and one of their pushes started from Visoko.
It gave no reasons for imposing the blockade but U.N. officials believe it wants peacekeepers out of the theatre while their offensive against the Serbs was underway.
"The Bosnian army is launching an offensive in the area and they don't want the U.N. to be around," a U.N. source said.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None