Banija villages killings

The Banija villages killings was the mass murder of Croatian Serbs by Croatian forces on 22 August 1991 in several villages of the Banija region.

Banija villages killings
Location	Villages in Banija, near Sisak, Croatia
Date	22 August 1991
Target	Croatian Serbs
Attack type	Mass killing
Deaths	15
Perpetrators	Croatian Special Police (MUP) Croatian Army (HV)

Background

In the spring of 1991 the armed conflict in Croatia began and several villages near Sisak, including Blinjski Kut and Kinjačka, were soon occupied by Serbian paramilitary forces.^[1] According to the Croatian Government, on 22 August 1991 Croatian forces carried out a military operation codenamed "Night Guard", in which they attempted to regain control from Serbian forces over several villages in the Sisak area, including Blinjski Kut.^[1]

Killings

On 22 August 1991, Croatian forces carried out military action on majority Serb villages of Blinjski Kut, Kinjačka Gornja, Kinjačka Donja, Blinjska Greda, Bestrma, Trnjane, Čakala and Brdjane, in which 15 people were killed.^[2] Most of the casualties were civilians, but some clashed with Croatian forces, as evidenced by the deaths of five soldiers.^[2]