Extracts from 'Soldier' the magazine of the British Army about 1st Bn The Highlanders in Bosnia
Copyright Soldier magazine
Ups and downs: Right, Highlander William Sinclair
heads a security patrol under the command of LCpl Finn Beary, around the area of
the hospital at Banja Luka
Crime-busters
Forces take fresh stance as they fight corruption
Report: Ray Routledge
Pictures: Steve Dock
BRITISH soldiers in Bosnia have a new focus,
according to Lt Col Tim Lai, CO of the 1st Battalion, The Highlanders. It
involves a fundamental change in their relationship with the Republika Srpska
Army (VRS) and a crackdown against organised crime.
In May, a commission on military reforms in Bosnia
was established and could result in the merging of the region’s two rival
armies, the Federation Army (VF) and the VRS. “The Sfor stance has shifted,”
said Lt Col Lai. “From being ‘big brother is watching you’, we are now seeking
to prepare them for Partners for Peace and are becoming involved in their
professional development. We also make sure their accounting procedures for arms
and equipment are compliant.”
The change in stance was recent so the relationship
was still evolving, he said. “Like those before us we are mandated to
maintaining and extending the safe and secure environment.” After the region had
torn itself to pieces in civil war, peacekeeping forces went through a phase of
rebuilding so the country could function again. “Now we are looking at other
fundamental issues that need to be put right if Bosnia is going to be able to
look after itself.”
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Taking out local Mafia
HIGHLANDERS and a company of Gurkhas met crime
head-on in Operation Bagration.
Well-armed mafia were running a protection
racket. For local tradesmen and shopkeepers it was a question of pay up or
be put out of business.
Police were ineffective or implicated so a
covert team kept watch for more than two months on suspected criminals.
As reported in the July issue (Update, Page 11),
nearly 300 soldiers from different nationalities, including American and
German forensic experts, IT specialists, document and dog search teams were
manoeuvred into position.
The operation unearthed nearly 15,000 rounds of
ammunition, 30 guns, grenades and explosives and an anti-aircraft missile
system. It was more than enough to implicate the crime ring. “We've proved to the local community that where corruption rears its head, we will not let it stand,” said Lt Col Lai. “These weapons finds, with a quantity of incriminating documents, will take these guys into court and out of business for a long time.” |
With much of the industrial infrastructure wrecked
and little investment, lack of jobs is a potential spark for civil unrest.
Helping Bosnians to help themselves, and taking on organised crime and
corruption, has become a new focus for Sfor, and one given momentum by Lord
Ashdown, the High Representative and European Union Special Representative to
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Without a working judiciary, an effective
prosecution service, an administration that functions properly and a police
force that does its job, you are not going to get investment from abroad to
create the jobs that will result in long-term stability,” said Lt Col Lai.
“Which is why the British Army is helping to fight crime and corruption.
“The idea that the place is run by mafia is not
fanciful. It manifests itself in human trafficking, prostitution, smuggling,
weapons dealing and tax evasion, all typical organised crime activities.”
Those who benefit most are often in positions of influence and power which they
use to avoid being marginalised and having their influence eroded. “At the
low level this could be the traffic policeman who stops guys and takes a
backhander rather than issuing a ticket. “That is affecting progress. And that
takes us away from conventional military tasks in an interesting and different
way. Much of what we do could be considered constabulary in nature.”
Weapons check: Lt Tom Hawkins, Liaison Officer for 1st Bn The Highlanders, carries out a weapons inspection with Capt Dragan Kremenovic (left) of the VRS, with the assistance of an interpreter employed to work with the unit
An inspector calls
It’s business as usual for British arms monitors
Report: Ray Routledge
Pictures: Steve Dock
THE tank in the hangar may have looked rusty, but it
was still lethal. Its armour was dilapidated, but the carefully maintained
machinery inside the hatch told another story.
The Soviet-era vehicle was one of a row in a hangar
at Manjaca, home of 116 Mechanized Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army (VRS).
Although an era of greater cooperation between Sfor
and the VRS has dawned in Bosnia, there is no let-up on weapons inspections
under the Dayton Peace Agreement.
Lt Tom Hawkins, 1 Hldrs, the Joint Military Affairs
officer for the UK battle-group, said: “I keep a hand on the VRS by reviewing
their barracks, either routinely or using snap inspections. There are 36 sites
in our area of operations and Manjaca is one of the biggest.” Every time the VRS
move weapons or equipment they have to apply for permission, with precise
details of movements. Everything is logged and inspected and ammo facilities are
examined to ensure everything is safely stored and detailed in the manifest.
“The VRS are always friendly,” said Lt Hawkins. “We
have not had any major problems.”
Soldier accompanied him on a routine inspection of
the Manjaca base, a training establishment with a strength of about 600. Some
vehicles were in a shocking state, with flat tyres and corroded metal and many
of the ageing Soviet tanks lined up in a hangar were missing armour which been
replaced with concrete.
But their dilapidated
external appearance was deceptive because inspections had revealed that
internally they were maintained to a high standard.
Officers were
friendly and commander Col Dragisa Valin (pictured right) welcomed the
inspection team. “We are in a position to complete the military part of the
Dayton agreement and that was achieved a long time ago,” he told Soldier.
Thanks to a deal with the local military, Sfor
troops train on the base’s extensive ranges. “Now we have joint activities and
we play sports together. The British play good football but we are better at
basketball. We meet every week either here or at Sfor. I must say we are happier
with the cooperation with the British elements of Sfor. If there are problems we
normally resolve them amicably and our relationships are good.”
Col Valin said the weapons at Manjaca were inherited
from the old Yugoslav Army and he is looking to the future. “We have soldiers
who have attended international programmes. I went to one in Germany and one of
my officers is attached to security forces in Nato.
“For now I am happy for you to see the weapons we have here and I look forward to the future when we could be part of the Partnership for Peace.”