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Protected witness M, testifying at the trial of six former members of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that he was a member of the Special Purposes Squad with the Main Command Headquarters of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, in April 1993, adding that he participated in the attack on Trusina village.
“Alispago and the late Semko were present when we were lined up in the morning, prior to our departure. They told us we would go to Trusina, but nobody mentioned that we should commit any actions that were contrary to the rules of war. We were never asked to do anything like that.
“On the basis of the situation in the field during the operation, it seemed that Semko was in charge, that he was responsible,” witness M said. He began testifying on March 28 this year .
The witness said that prior to the attack on Trusina village, he “glanced sideways” at Nihad Bojadzic, adding that he was “a member of the unit’s command”, but he did not see him or Alispago during the attack.
The State Prosecution charges Alispago, Bojadzic, Mensur Memic, Dzevad Salcin, Senad Hakalovic and Nedzad Hodzic with the murder of 18 civilians and four members of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO in Trusina village on April 16, 1993.
The indictment alleges that Alispago was Commander of the Zulfikar Special Purposes Squad. He is charged with having failed to punish the soldiers who participated in the murders. Bojadzic, Alispago’s Deputy, is charged with having commanded the attack.
According to the indictment, Bojadzic ordered members of the Squad “to make sure that there would be no survivors in the village”.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina alleges that Memic, Salcin and Hodzic, former members of the Zulfikar Special Purposes Squad with the ABiH Main Command Headquarters, and Senad Hakalovic, former member of the Neretvica 45th Mountain Brigade, participated in the attack on the village.
Responding to questions posed by Bojadzic’s Defence, witness M said that “nobody gave the order to kill all the people in Trusina village”.
“It is a very specific order. I would have certainly remembered it. However, nobody ever gave us such order,” witness M said.
The witness said that during the attack on the village, shots were fired at members of the Zulfikar Special Squad from “houses and summer houses”, adding that a large quantity of “weapons and ammunition” was found during the search of the houses.
“Once the operation was over, I passed through the village. I remember having seen a civilian, who had been killed in front of a house. Later on, while I was in the house, I heard shooting and I saw a few HVO soldiers who had been shot. There were maybe five or six of them. However, as I saw many members of the Unit at that place, I do not know who had shot them,” witness M said.
The trial is due to continue on Friday, April 8 this year.
D.Dz.
