(30 Aug 1995) English/Nat
Wave after wave of NATO warplanes unleashed revenge on the Bosnian Serbs on Wednesday, attacking targets across Bosnia and claiming to have caused significant destruction.
The airstrikes were in retaliation for Monday's Bosnian Serb attack on a Sarajevo market which killed 37 people.
More than 60 planes took part in the attacks, supported around Sarajevo by the Rapid Reaction Force which bombarded Serb positions with heavy artillery.
As the NATO jets swooped over Sarajevo on their way to hit Bosnian Serb positions their flares trailed behind to deflect heat seeking missiles.
Military officials claimed widespread success for the attacks, launched in four waves.
The planes, flying from NATO bases in Italy and the aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt in the Adriatic, were trying to knock out Serb air defences and destroy military targets such as missile positions and weapons
dumps.
Smoke rising from Mount Igman was reported to be the Serb's Zunovnica munitions factory.
In retaliation the Serbs launched mortar attacks into Sarajevo, but the scale of the response was tiny compared to NATO's overwhelming firepower.
The air attacks were supported by French, British and Dutch troops from the Rapid Reaction Force positioned near Sarajevo.
They launched 600 shells at Bosnian Serb positions in the morning. By the afternoon they had begun to move to better positions from which to launch attacks.
UN spokesmen said the attacks were designed to send a stern message to the Serbs and warned of more to come.
SOUNDBITE:
"Shortly after 0200 local time, NATO and the rapid reaction force, which is part of UNPROFOR, attacked Bosnian Serb positions in Bosnia including heavy weapons around Sarajevo, utilizing the aircraft and artillery. The aim of the mission was to deter attacks against the designated U-N safe area as agreed by the United Nations and NATO following the London conference.
SUPER CAPTION: Alexander Ivanko, UN Spokesman
SOUNDBITE:
"Air targets included air defence, radar and communication sites, ammunition depots and command posts throughout Bosnia. Artillery and mortar targets were heavy weapon targets around Sarajevo."
SUPER CAPTION: Chris Vernon, UN Spokesman
SOUNDBITE:
" The aim is to remove the threat of heavy weapons from around Sarajevo, the operation, as you will hear, is ongoing."
SUPER CAPTION: Chris Vernon, UN Spokesman
In the Serb headquarters of Pale residents took cover and air-raid sirens warned of the constant danger from above.
An army barracks was hit and military sources claimed a vital radar complex had been damaged. Bosnian Serbs claimed there had also been civilian casualties.
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