The death of Ratko Mladic in the Hague cannot pass without a mention of his evil deeds in Srebenica, when I commanded the northern most British troops in Bosnia. There has been much debate about who was more culpable for the war crimes in 1995: Mladic or Karadzic. To my mind, Karadzic had overall responsibility, but Mladic gave the orders to his troops to kill the masses.
It was difficult for ordinary British soldiers to do nothing while knowing that civilians were being slaughtered nearby. But it must be much worse for the Dutch soldiers who were in the United Nations Protection Force at Potocari and stood aside as the Bosnian Serb Army began their genocide. Having visited some of the haunting sites where bodies were being exhumed, I have enormous respect for the forensic investigators, who provided much of the evidence to convict those responsible.
When I returned to Bosnia in 2003 and planned special operations to hunt war criminals, the net was closing in on the two Bosnian Serb leaders. We knew they were hiding over the border, but occasionally returned to see their families. The pressure was maintained diplomatically thanks to the outstanding British High Commissioner, Paddy Ashdown and eventually, they were both arrested in Serbia. Mladic’s death may close a chapter, but we are not at the end….yet.
Rupert Wieloch 