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Withdrawal of Troops – 1996

On 7 February 1996, the US Senate passed Resolution 225 related to Bosnia and Herzegovina, calling for the compliance of Bosnia’s Moslem government to the provision which required the expulsion of all foreign volunteer fighters.¹

The withdrawal of Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat troops continued from their front-line and bunkers across central and northern Bosnia. The withdrawal came five days before Friday’s deadline (19 January 1996) for the creation of a 4-kilometre buffer zone along the former front lines throughout Bosnia. However, the withdrawal was said to have continued until Friday.²

The situation surrounding the eviction of foreign fighters from Bosnia and Herzegovina was not clear. NATO Secretary General Javier Solana confirmed that fighting groups completed the withdrawal of their forces from the agreed upon cease-fire zone of separation,³ complying with the Phase II withdrawal requirement of the accord. According to a news report, both Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian government forces completed pullback of most of their troops and heavy weapons on 19 January 1996.⁴ NATO’s 60,000 troops were deployed to enforce peace throughout the country even before foreign fighters withdrew.

1. “Congressional Record,” Senate Resolution 225—Relative to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Senate — 7 February 1996), accessed April 16, 2011, http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1996_cr/s960207a.htm, page S1085.
2. “Withdrawal in Bosnia beats treaty deadline,” The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec), January 15, 1996.
3. “Bosnia Pullback on Time, But Prisoner Release Lags,” The Washington Post, January 20, 1996.
4. “Bosnia Foes Finish Pullback but Fail on P.O.W. Release,” The New York Times, January 20, 1996.