Over 2,400 pieces of weapons were destroyed on Saturday in Banja Luka, a city located some 195 kilometers northwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) capital Sarajevo.
In series of operations conducted by ten BiH police bodies since the beginning of the year, 1,135 guns and rifles, and 1,276 component parts were seized and stored in foundry “Jelsingrad” in Banja Luka, according to the EU delegation in BIH’s website.
Before the weapons destruction, Chairman of the Coordination Board Ermin Pesto told reporters that the destruction is a continuation of efforts to reduce the risk of small and light weapons abuse, and putting them under control.
“The EU appreciates efforts of BiH authorities, particularly the law enforcement agencies. The fight against cross-border organized crime also involves combating the illicit production and proliferation of weapons,” said Richard Wood, head of Rule of Law Section at the EU delegation in BiH , adding that the EU will continue supporting BiH.
Weapons destruction is one of the prerequisites and parts of the EU Directives that are needed to be fulfilled in order to bring the country closer to the EU membership.
Official statistics for BiH suggest that there are some 16,000 tons of weapons or nearly 40,000 pieces of weapons that remain illegally in the public domain, the EU delegation stated.
Last year, a total of 13,000 pieces of small and light weapons and components were destroyed, Xinhua reports.
