Operation Storm

Croatian political leaders, wartime generals and war veterans gathered on Friday in the town of Knin to mark the anniversary of the country's victorious military offensive, Operation Storm, which effectively ended the independence war in the country in 1995.

The anniversary of the military-police operation Storm, during which the largest exodus of Serbs since World War II was recorded at the beginning of August 1995, will also be marked as a national holiday in Croatia this year - the Day of Victory and Homeland Gratitude and Veterans' Day, while in Serbia that crime that goes unpunished will be marked with a commemorative rally in Novi Sad.

"I was in the hospital for six days, after that I wore a leg brace for a month," he added.

Some two-and-a-half years later Drca, together with many other Croatian Serbs, was forced to flee the country and come to Serbia.

Ever since, politicians in Croatia and Serbia have commemorated different parts of those events - the parts that suit them, ignoring the arguments and victims from the other side.

The man identified in court in The Hague as Witness 56 was a Serb policeman in the Croatian town of Knin between May 1994 and August 5, 1995. That was the date when he left the country, along with around 200,000 other Serbs, as the Croatian Army crushed Serb rebel forces during Operation Storm.

Belgrade Higher Court said on Wednesday that it has confirmed the indictment of four high-ranking Croatian Army members for committing war crimes against civilians during Operation Storm in August 1995.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled on Thursday that Croatia must pay 5,000 euros in compensation because five Serb women whose father was killed during the Croatian Army's Operation Storm in 1995 were unlawfuly made to pay court costs in a civil case they launched against the state in the domestic courts.

Media reported on Tuesday that the mayor of the Borovo municipality in eastern Croatia, Zoran Bacanovic, is under police investigation over his recent Facebook post about Operation Storm.

Croatia's political leadership, wartime generals and war veterans gathered on Thursday in the town of Knin to mark the anniversary of the victorious military offensive, Operation Storm, that practically ended the independence war in the country in 1995.

Part of the ceremony took place at the Knin Fortress, while another part was held at the town's football stadium.

"Gentlemen, I want to talk a little bit more about [our] promotional focus, given the advantages gained from Storm," Tudjman said as he opened the session.