General of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and former commander of the 5th and 4th Corps of the ARBiH Ramiz Dreković died this morning at the age of 70 at the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo, it was confirmed by several sources. Dreković was hospitalized in recent days due to his deteriorating health, and despite the efforts of the medical team to stabilize his condition, he died in the morning.
He started his military career in the JNA
Ramiz Dreković was born on May 10, 1956 in the village of Vesenići, near Tutin. After completing his high school education, he entered the Military Academy of Armored and Mechanized Units in Banja Luka, which he graduated in 1980.
He began his professional military career in the then Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), where he served until September 1991, when he left it with the rank of captain first class.
Among the first commanders in the defense of Bihać
At the beginning of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992, he became involved in organizing the defense of the Bihac region. He first commanded the Municipal Headquarters of the Territorial Defense of Bihać, and then he was appointed commander of the Una-Sana operational group, which played an important role in the organization of the defense of the then besieged Bihać district.
After the formation of the 5th Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on October 21, 1992, Dreković was appointed as its first commander.
He remained in that position for a little over a year, until November 1, 1993, when he assumed command of the 4th Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, responsible for the defense of the Herzegovina area.
During the war, he held several high command positions in the RBiH Army, and after the end of the conflict, he attained the rank of general.
The court proceedings ended with an acquittal
In the last years of his life, Dreković was faced with a trial before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina brought an indictment against him in 2019, accusing him that, as commander of the 4th Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he failed to prevent the allegedly indiscriminate shelling of the Kalinovik area in June 1995, in which several civilians died.
After several years of proceedings, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a final acquittal in November 2023, concluding that it had not been proven that Dreković was responsible for the acts he was accused of.
In the coming days, the family and competent institutions should publish information about the date of the commemoration and funeral for Ramiz Dreković.
