Zagreb rocket attack
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| Croatian War of Independence |
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| Plitvice Lakes – Borovo Selo – Vukovar (Battle, Massacre) – The Barracks – Dubrovnik – Gospić – Otkos 10 – Škabrnja – Orkan 91 – Voćin – Miljevci – Maslenica – Medak Pocket – Flash – Zagreb – Summer '95 – Storm |
The Zagreb rocket attack was a war crime conducted by Serb armed forces that fired ground-to-ground missiles on the Croatian capital of Zagreb. The attack killed 7 and wounded at least 175 civilians and was carried out on May 2nd and 3rd, 1995 as a retaliation for a military defeat in the Croatian War of Independence and deliberatly targeted civilian locations.
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[edit] Intro
During the early part of the war, Croatian capital of Zagreb was spared from devastation, as it was far from the frontlines.
In May 1995, Croatia launched Operation Flash which recaptured the area of western Slavonia (UNPA sector West), under Serb control since 1991. Following the rapid collapse of the Serb defence in the area, Serb leader Milan Martić ordered Serb rocket artillery units in the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina to fire Orkan 262mm Multiple rocket launcher (MRL) missiles on the capital of Zagreb. The missiles were equipped with Jinglebell cluster bomb warheads (called cassette bombs) designed to spread before impact to affect a wider area and kill as many people as possible (their usage is strictly anti-personnel).
[edit] The bombings
The first attack occured on May 2nd, at 10:25 hrs in the morning, at the time many civilians were in the streets. The targets hit included the Strossmayer promenade, Petrinjska street and the Stara Vlaška street where an electric cable car full of passengers was hit.
The second attack occured the following day, at 12:10 hrs. The children's hospital in Klaić street and the Croatian National Theatre building were among those damaged. Casualties on the second attack were lighter, because the streets were largely avoided on the second day.
Most missiles targeted the city center and surrounding streets, which were most likely to be filled with civilians. Targets hit also included the central square, Ban Jelačić Square, and the streets at the very center: Ilica, Draskovićeva and Klaićeva streets, as well as the Marulić Square.
In total, 7 were killed and at least 175 injured (of these about 100 seriously) from these attacks.
[edit] The Hague
Milan Martić then appeared on Serb television and publically bragged about ordering the assault. This video was later used against him during his trial at ICTY after he was indicted for war crimes. [1] The attack on Zagreb was one of the main points of the indictment against him, to which he confessed, but claimed it was a "legitimate action against the enemy". As of 2007, the trial is still ongoing.
