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History of Igman


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threat of NATO airstrikes. The area was declared a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) by the UN after the BSA retreated and UNPROFOR units were stationed on Igman and nearby Bjelašnica. The supply road into Sarajevo was agreed to be used for humanitarian goods only, but ARBiH logistical activity on the road and through the tunnel continued nevertheless. Discussion about real or alleged reluctance to withdraw ARBiH forces from the DMZ was a growing issue between UNPROFOR Commander General Rose and ARBiH Commander General Delić, with BSA Commander Mladić waiting for an opportunity to close the gap. Trucks on the the Igman supply road's narrow last stretch descending the steep north-eastern slope became fully exposed to fire from BSA artillery positions in Ilidža and Vojkovici. Meanwhile, the ARBiH units remaining on the plateau were formally restricted to R&R activities, notably resulting in the building of the Igman Dzamija, a wooden mosque in the forest, still much frequented today. The Igman supply road remained the almost exclusive supply route into Sarajevo until the end of the war. It was also the only entry and exit road for the Bosnian political leadership. Bosnian president Alija Izetbegović and foreign secretary Muhamed Sacirbey traveled this road. Foreign negotiators tended to avoid the road as it was "often described as the most dangerous road in Europe". Forced by a Serb blockade of the Sarajevo Airport, on August 19, 1995, a USPeace Mission headed by Richard Holbrooke took this road in order to reach Sarajevo for a meeting with the Bosnian presidency. Holbrooke decided to sit with General Wesley Clark in a Humvee, while the other members of the delegation travelled in a French UNPROFOR Renault VAB Armored Personnel Carrier. At a particular exposed and narrow point -now marked by a French memorial plaque- the French APC went over the edge and rolled and tumbled down some 400 meters. US Diplomats Robert Frasure, Nelson Drew and Joe Kruzel as well as the
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