Bosnian Government Builds Strategic Air Base Near Canadian Peacekeeping Contingent

A new air base has been built by the Bosnian government near the Visoko-based Canadian peacekeeping contingent, potentially providing a significant military advantage if the international arms embargo is lifted. The 1,800-metre runway, while still in its early stages, could accommodate military cargo aircraft and warplanes, including the Hercules C-130s currently used for humanitarian aid. Despite UN denials of involvement, UN vehicles have been spotted working alongside Bosnian government engineers at the site, fueling concerns about tacit support for Bosnian war aims.

Key Takeaways:

• The Bosnian government has built a new air base near the Visoko-based Canadian peacekeeping contingent, potentially providing a significant military advantage if the international arms embargo is lifted.
• The 1,800-metre runway, while still in its early stages, could accommodate military cargo aircraft and warplanes, including the Hercules C-130s currently used for humanitarian aid.
• Although the UN denies involvement, UN vehicles have been spotted working alongside Bosnian government engineers at the site, raising concerns about tacit support for Bosnian war aims.
• The air base is within range of Serb artillery, effectively rendering it unusable unless Bosnian forces succeed in a major push to the north and west of Sarajevo or the artillery is nullified.
• UN officers and Serb officers close to the artillery positions that could destroy the airfield are puzzled as to why the airfield has been built in a vulnerable location, suggesting that there may be strategic assurances in place.
• The existence of the air base has been independently verified by journalists and those who have accessed the site, but the construction of other new airfields by the Bosnian government is unverified.
• The air base could potentially be used by retreating UN forces if their withdrawal becomes a death-or-flight scenario, but this is unlikely given its strategic location and significant investment by the Bosnian government.
• The Bosnian government is believed to be expending precious resources to build the airfield in order to provide a link with the outside world for arms, as it would avoid the "tax" imposed on arms and ammunition by the Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
• There remain reports of clandestine cargo flights dropping arms to the Bosnian government forces, despite a NATO-enforced "no-fly" zone over all of Bosnia.

Statistics:

• 1,800 metres: The length of the runway built by the Bosnian government near the Visoko-based Canadian peacekeeping contingent.
• 130: The number of Hercules C-130s currently being used for humanitarian aid, which could potentially use the new air base.
• 20 kilometres: The exclusion zone around Sarajevo imposed by NATO, which could force the Serbs to move their artillery beyond range of the new airport.
• 1/3: The percentage of arms and ammunition bound for the Sarajevo government that is skimmed off by the Croats.
• 2-1/2 years: The duration of the conflict in Bosnia, during which the Bosnian government has been massively outgunned by Bosnian Serbs armed and supplied from Serbia.

Sources:

• A senior Canadian military officer, quoted in the article as Lieutenant-Colonel Raymond Wlasichuk.
• A UN source, quoted in the article as saying that the airfield "doesn't make any sense" unless there are strategic assurances in place.
• Major Nisha Miric, quoted in the article as saying that the aircraft landing at the airfield would be "blown away" and that expanding the exclusion zone could be a trigger for war.
• A senior UN officer, quoted in the article as saying that the airport near Visoko is only one of several built by Bosnian government forces.