The People's Defense of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia ( Bosnian: ''Narodna Odbrana Zapadne Bosne'', NOZB;

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also

* * * Old Serbian (disambiguat ...

: ''Народна одбрана Западне Босне'', НОЗБ / ''Narodna Odbrana Zapadne Bosne'', NOZB) was a paramilitary unit founded and led by Fikret Abdić that fought in the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

(1993–1995) during the Yugoslav Wars. It served as the de facto army of the APZB.

Structure

Structure of the People's Defense of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia: * 1st brigade NOZB * 2nd brigade NOZB * 3rd brigade NOZB * 4th brigade NOZB * 5th brigade NOZB * 6th brigade NOZB

Special Units

* The ''Šejla'' unit * The ''Ajkini'' unit * The ''Metal'' unit * The ''Golubovi'' unit

Battles

Siege of Bihać

From 1993 to 1995, the NOZB fought against the 5th Corps alongside Republika Srpska and the

Republic of Serbian Krajina The Republic of Serbian Krajina or Serb Republic of Krajina ( sh, Република Српска Крајина, italics=no / or РСК / ''RSK'', ), known as the Serbian Krajina ( / ) or simply Krajina, was a self-proclaimed Serb proto-state, ...

Operation Tiger 1994

On June 2, 1994, the 5th Corps, under the command of Atif Dudaković, overran and seized the territory of Western Bosnia and Fikret Abdić fled to Zagreb for safety. The battle was a huge success for the ARBiH, which was able to rout Abdić's forces and manage to push the Serb forces from Bihać and abolish Western Bosnia temporarily.

Operation Spider

On November 4, 1994, the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia was re-established after a Serb counterattack against the Bosnian forces.

Legacy

In 2013, the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a decision that equated the rights of former soldiers of the NOZB with those of the members of the ARBiH and the HVO.{{Cite web , title=TZV. NARODNA ODBRANA ZAPADNA BOSNA JE BILA DIO AGRESORSKIH SRPSKO-CRGORSKIH VOJNIH SNAGA — Bosnjaci.Net , url=https://www.bosnjaci.net/prilog.php?pid=50740 , access-date=2023-02-14 , website=www.bosnjaci.net

References

Bosnian War