Operation Storm
In summer 1995, Croatia carried out a large scale military operation called Oluja -- Storm -- the objective of which was to reclaim areas of Republic of Croatia held by rebel Serb forces. The operation officially lasted four days and effectively eliminated the wartime "Republic of Serbian Krajina".After the final cease-fire of 1992, the Croatian army regrouped and eventually started pursuing successful military advances against the Krajina Serbs. In September 1993 they overran a small area near the village of Medak (the so-called Medak pocket, Medački džep) just southeast of the town of Gospić in the mountainous region of Lika.
Following an agreement with the Croatian government in November 1994, The Pentagon contracted Military Professional Resources, Inc (MPRI) to train the Croatian military. As a product of that cooperation, in May 1995 Croatia started "Operation Flash" in which they reclaimed a larger area in western Slavonia in just a few days.
After the success of "Flash", they undertook a much larger operation "Storm" in which they aimed to take over the central, largest entity composing Krajina, located around the western Bosnian border. They broke cease-fire and attacked the Serb positions in early morning, August 4th. They advanced quickly and took over the capital of Krajina, the town of Knin in Dalmatian hinterland on August 5th.
By August 6th, the 1st Brigade penetrated Krajina territory near Slunj and reached the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, where they met with Bosniak forces of the enclave of western Bosnia. The only strong resistance was met in the town of Glina (south of Sisak).
On the evening of the 7th of August, the operation was declared over as most of the border with Bosnia was controlled by the Croats. Remaining few divisions of the Serbian army peacefully surrendered over the course of the next several days.
Almost the entire Serb civilian population of the area fled during "Storm". The Croatian courts and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia have both investigated the conduct of Croat army personnel during this and related operations. Several high-ranked officers (such as brigadier general Mirko Norac and colonel general Ante Gotovina) are or have been indicted for war crimes committed by their troops -- in Medak for planned mass murder as part of the operation, and in Flash and Storm for (allowing) murders, pillaging and overall destruction in the aftermath of each operation.
The legitimacy of these operations is a controversial issue that depends on what is perceived as their final goal: Croatian government taking back its occupied territory or complete elimination of the Serb rebels. The issue will continue to plague Croatia until all the war criminals, and particularly those who issued their orders, are brought to justice.
