Withdrawal of Troops – 1995
1995
The General Framework Agreement required all foreign forces to be withdrawn within 30 days of the signing of the agreement. The Bosnian government agreed to evict some 2,000 foreigners from Iran and Afghanistan fighting with Bosnian Muslim forces.1 Information was not available on whether this provision was implemented. (Reviewer’s Comments: The provision was never fully implemented. Despite pressure from the U.S., a number of Islamist militants remained in Central Bosnia around the towns of Zenica and Tuzla, and in the village of Maoca. Some of the leading figures had been directly linked to organizing events leading to 11 September 2001 (for more on these links see US Congressional hearings regarding the events of September 11). In late 2001, eleven Algerians (former Army BiH soldiers) were arrested by the Government in Sarajevo, handed over to US forces, and incarcerated in Guantanamo. Nonetheless, a fairly small foreign Wahhabi community had remained active in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) up to this point.
However, the Muslim-led Bosnian government and Bosnian Serbs withdrew soldiers and weapons from 38 key points along the cease-fire line. The withdrawal was the first major test of compliance with the peace accord and the first test of NATO’s ability to enforce the agreement.2This complied with the withdrawal requirement of the agreement as mentioned in Phase I of the plan.