Zaim Imamović (22 April 1961 – 9 October 1995) was a Bosnian military commander in the

Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; ARBiH), often referred to as Bosnian Army, was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established by the government of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina i ...

for

Goražde Goražde ( sr-cyrl, Горажде, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Bosnian-Podrinje Canton Goražde of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of the Drina rive ...

enclave during the 1992–95

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

Biography

He was born in

Ilovača Ilovača is a village in the Municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, municipality of Goražde, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Demographics According to the 2013 census, its population was 171. References

Populated places in Goražde {{ ...

SR Bosnia and Herzegovina The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...

, former

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

. Before the war, he was a professional soldier in the

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...

and held the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. When Yugoslavia began to fall apart, Imamović was stationed in

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, but the beginning of the war in Bosnia found him in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

. He returned to his native region and took command of the soldiers there. His leadership skills were recognized, and he was taken out of the enclave to command a unit that sought to break the siege from outside. He always led from the frontline and was wounded 5 times.

Death

Imamović was killed by shrapnel from a shell on the

Treskavica Treskavica ( sr-cyrl, Трескавица) is a mountain range in Bosnia and Herzegovina, situated in Trnovo municipality just south of city of Sarajevo. Mala Ćaba (Đokin Toranj) peak at 2088 m (6850 ft.), which makes Treskavica the tallest ...

mountain on 9 October 1995, just one day before the ceasefire leading to the final peace agreement. He was buried on the grounds of the Ali Pasha Mosque in Sarajevo, along with other prominent Bosniak military and political leaders.

Legacy

Imamović's son Ernest is a politician, member of the

Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Bosnian: ''Socijaldemokratska partija Bosne i Hercegovine'' (SDP BiH) / ''Социјалдемократска партија Босне и Херцеговине''), also simply known as th ...

and current mayor of Goražde, having served since 25 December 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imamović, Zaim 1961 births 1995 deaths People from Goražde Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina soldiers Bosnia and Herzegovina military personnel killed in action Military personnel killed in the Bosnian War Officers of the Yugoslav People's Army Recipients of the Order of the Golden Lily