SFOR/J3-COMCAM's STAFF Sergeant Cesar Rodriguez, deployed from the 1ST Combat Camera Squadron, Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, acquires aerial imagery for Multi National Division South East (MND SE)/G3 of the Spanish Square area for terrain and operational awareness purposes. This Square contains a cemetery located on Ul S. Kavacevica Street in Mostar, which became a flash point for ethnic violence between Croats and Bosnians on 10 Feb 1997. The Bosnians started a religious parade to visit their relatives gravesites. The Croats interpreted this parade as an act of Bosnian nationalism because the cemetery holds graves for both Muslims and Christian Croats (featured in...

The original finding aid described this photograph as:

[Complete] Scene Caption: SFOR/J3-COMCAM's STAFF Sergeant Cesar Rodriguez, deployed from the 1ST Combat Camera Squadron, Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, acquires aerial imagery for Multi National Division South East (MND SE)/G3 of the Spanish Square area for terrain and operational awareness purposes. This Square contains a cemetery located on Ul S. Kavacevica Street in Mostar, which became a flash point for ethnic violence between Croats and Bosnians on 10 Feb 1997. The Bosnians started a religious parade to visit their relatives gravesites. The Croats interpreted this parade as an act of Bosnian nationalism because the cemetery holds graves for both Muslims and Christian Croats (featured in background to Rodriguez' right). The Croats want to preserve their ethnic separateness. The violence between the two parties was later attributed to Croatian nationals by the United Nation's International Police Task Force (IPTF) on 26 Feb 97. The IPTF recommended several senior Croat and Bosnian police officials be removed from office. Additionally, several Croatian "Mafia" leaders were detained for their contributions to this incident and other activities. The Spanish Square area is thought to be an enclave used by Croatians to launch activities to preserve ethnic segregation. This area is a triangular block about 200 yards on each side; the Rondo circle is an apex of the triangle with Ul S. Kavacevica street leading to the right and contains the cemetery, Lenjinovo Sepaliste Street trails to the left with the Spanish Square building at its apex and Hrvatskl Branl Telsa St connects those two streets. Increased surveillance and Stabilization Force (SFOR) patrols of this area have deterred further violence from erupting from the IPTH findings of fault and from the doubly volatile 1 March anniversary of Bosnia-Herzegovina Independence and Serbian day of the dead holy day.

Subject Operation/Series: JOINT GUARD

Base: Mostar

Country: Bosnia And/I Herzegovina (BIH)

Scene Camera Operator: LT COL Michael A. Perry, USAF

Release Status: Released to Public
Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files