The Croatian Defence Council (Croatian Hrvatsko vijeće obrane, HVO) was the main military unit of the Croats during the Bosnian War charged with achieving the military objectives of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia. Croats (Croatian: Hrvati) are a south Slavic people mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. ... Combatants Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Predominantly Bosniak) Army of Republika Srpska, Yugoslav Peoples Army, various paramilitary units from Serbia and Montenegro (Serbian) Croatian Defence Council, Croatian Army (Croatian) Commanders Alija Izetbegović (President of Bosnia and Herzegovina) Sefer Halilović (Army chief of staff 1992-1993) Rasim... Coat of Arms of Herzeg-Bosnia Flag of Herzeg-Bosnia The Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia (locally Hrvatska Republika Herceg-Bosna) was an unrecognized entity in present day Bosnia and Herzegovina existing between 1991 and 1994 as a result of secessionist politics during the Bosnian War. ...

The HVO was established on April 8, 1992 in Grude by the political leadership of Herzeg Bosnia, who declared that all other military groups on the territory of the HB were illegal and the enemy. Grude is a town in western Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. ...

During the first few months of the Bosnian War the HVO was engaged in defending Bosnia from the Serbs and a large number of its soldiers were Bosniaks Once the Serbs were stopped the HVO turned to fighting Bosniaks and to destroying their Croat enemies: See Blaz Kraljevic. From April 1993 until February 1994 they fought the Bosniaks and committed many atrocities. They did not succed in achieving their objectives and in 1994 the US and the Vatican pressured the into signing a peace treaty. Following that the HVO was active in some actions against the Serbs. The Bosniaks (Bosnian: Bošnjaci, IPA: [bɔʃɲaːt͡si]) are a South Slavic people living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Sandžak region of Serbia and Montenegro, with a smaller autochthonous population also present in Kosovo. ...

The HVO leadership at the time during the break-up of Yugoslavia (Jadranko Prlić, Bruno Stojić, Slobodan Praljak, Milivoj Petković, Valentin Ćorić and Berislav Pušić) are presently awaiting trial at the ICTY on charges including Crimes Against Humanity, Grave Breaches of the Geneva Conventions and Violations of the Laws or Customs of War. Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in all South Slavic languages, Југославија in Serbian and Macedonian Cyrillic) is a term used for the three separate but successive political entities that existed during most of the 20th century on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. ... Jadranko Prlić is a Croatian politican who is among six defendants charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), in relation to the Croatian Republic of Herceg-Bosna. ... Slobodan Praljak at the ICTY Slobodan Praljak is a Croatian politican who is amoung six defendants charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), in relation to the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia. ... Milivoj Petković at the ICTY Milivoj Petković is a Croatian army officer who is amoung six defendants charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), in relation to the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia. ... Valentin Coric at the ICTY Valentin Corić is a Croatian politican who is among six defendants charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Background Valentin Corić was born on 23 June, 1956 in the village of Paoca, near ÄŒitluk, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia is a body of the United Nations established to prosecute war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. ...

Other HVO figures have already been tried for war crimes. Tihomir Blaškić, Mladen Naletilić, Vinko Martinović, Vlatko Kuprešić and others have had their cases finalized before the ICTY. Tihomir BlaÅ¡kić (born November 2, 1960) was a Bosnian Croat army officer who had been sentenced for war crimes at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. ...

HVO was divided into four operational zones: South-Eastern and North-Western Herzegovina, Central Bosnia and Posavina. While first three zones were grouped more or less together, Posavina was completely isolated in northern Bosnia on right bank of Sava river around Orašje and was entirely depended on support from Croatia. Herzegovina (natively Hercegovina/Херцеговина) is a historical region in the Dinaric Alps that composes the southern part of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... Sava also Save (in Serbian: Сава; German: Save; Hungarian: Száva) is a river in Europe, a right side tributary of Danube at Belgrade. ...

See also

Ahmići Ahmići is a village in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. ...

External links

• Croatian Defence Council
• Herzeg-Bosnia Indictment
• Herceg-Bosna Trial Gets Under Way