Memorial dedicated to Bosnian army members blown up

Source: Beta

Mostar -- An explosion in the town of Mostar on Sunday night destroyed a monument raised in honor of the wartime Bosnian army, according to reports.

The Muslim-dominated Army of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina (Army of BiH) was integrated into the armed forces formed after the 1992-95 war.
The memorial that was demolished stood near the Mostar town hall.

The Herzegovina-Neretva Canton police said that nobody was hurt in the incident, but refused to provide any more information while the investigation was ongoing.

Bosniak (Muslim) and Croat politicians in Mostar have for a long time quarreled over the memorial, as well as another, raised for the members of Croat wartime forces in Bosna (HVO).

A year ago Croat association built their memorial with the approval of the town's authorities, but associations that originate in the Army of BiH reacted strongly against.

Unknown persons at one point opened fire at the Croat monument.

In April of last year, members of Bosniak associations "on their own initiative" raised their own memorial, only meters away from the one honoring the HVO.

After the war, Mostar remained informally divided between its eastern, Bosniak, and western, Croat, part. Inter-ethnic incidents are often reported, especially during sporting events.

Mostar is located in the Muslim-Croat Federation (FBiH) entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The country's other entity is the Serb Republic (RS).