The Cazinska Krajina region located in the far northwestern section of the wider region of Bosanska Krajina enjoyed somewhat higher GDP per capita compared to the average of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[13] The region is populated mostly by Bosnian Muslims and includes the municipalities of Bihać, Cazin and Velika Kladuša. On its north and west, it borders Croatia and is cut off from the rest of the Bosnian Muslim population in the south and east by the densely populated Serb and Croat areas.[14]Fikret Abdić established a local agricultural company Agrokomerc based in Velika Kladuša and during the 1970s and 1980s managed to transform Cazinska Krajina into a successful regional economy, previously a poor peasant area. Agrokomerc became the largest food-processing conglomerate in Yugoslavia, employing 13,000 people and owning many factories and outlets. The whole town of Velika Kladuša and the surrounding area lived because of Agrokomerc's success. Abdić managed to create a personality cult, being nicknamed "Babo" (English: Daddy).[15]
After a fight for political monopoly, the League of Communists of Yugoslavia lost the election to nationalist parties. In the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbs supported the Serb Democratic Party (SDS), while the Croats supported the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). Bosnian Muslims gathered around the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) led by Alija Izetbegović, a former convict and a member of the Young Muslims, who was a major defendant during the 1983 Sarajevo process. Abdić, a former member of the League of Communists, joined the SDA as one of its leaders.[16] In the 1990 election for the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Abdić won 200,000 votes more than Izetbegović.[17] He and Izetbegović were both elected as representatives of the Muslims in the Presidency, while Ejup Ganić, also a member of the SDA, was elected to the Presidency as a representative for the minorities.[18] Abdić thus emerged as a main threat to Izetbegović's dominance over the SDA and a potential President of the Presidency. The Abdić's line overtaking the SDA also became a possibility. However, Abdić retreated after being isolated by the leaders of the SDA and agreed to be just a Presidency member after opposition from the SDA's hardliners.[17]
The Bosnian War came to Cazinska Krajina in May 1992, with the unsuccessful effort from the Bosnian Serb army to occupy Bihać. Although Cazinska Krajina was constantly surrounded by the Bosnian Serb forces, the fighting deescalated in the early month of 1993, especially after Bihać was proclaimed a safe area in April 1993.[14]
History
Fikret Abdić, the Muslim Member of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the local leader who created an economic empire around Agrokomerc, declared the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia on 27 September 1993 in Velika Kladuša. The AP Western Bosnia operated as a mini-state, with a prime minister and a parliament.[14] The Bosnian Muslims from Bihać opposed the autonomy and remained loyal to the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time when the Bosnian Muslims were in an open war with the Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats, Fikret Abdić signed a pact of cooperation with the Bosnian Serb Republika Srpska in October 1993 and an agreement on the development of political cooperation with Republika Srpska and the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia in November 1993. Abdić enjoyed strong local support.[19] The 521st and 527th brigades of the 5th Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Velika Kladuša defected and joined Abdić.[20]
The Bosnian Muslims who remained loyal to Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina were led by Atif Dudaković, the commander of the 5th Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cazinska Krajina was split between Abdić and Dudaković, with Velika Kladuša and Cazin siding with Abdić and Bihać with Dudaković. By January 1994, most of the territory of Cazinska Krajina was under the control of the 5th Corps. The same month Dudaković signed a ceasefire with Abdić. However, the ceasefire was broken on 18 February 1994 when Abdić started an offensive against the 5th Corps. The fighting lasted till the summer of 1994, and by the end of the conflict, 30,000 of Abdić's forces were fleeing towards neighbouring Croatia. Although the 5th Corps attained several victories, in December 1994, Velika Kladuša was once again under Abdić's control. The 5th Corps managed to break through Serb lines around Bihać, and strengthen with the Bosnian Muslim-Croat Washington Agreement of 1994. In 1995 in Operation Storm, 5th Corps managed to achieve decisive victories against Abdić's army.[19]
Tokača, Mirsad (2012). Bosanska knjiga mrtvih I: ljudski gubici u Bosni i Hercegovini 1991-1995. Sarajevo: Istraživačko dokumentacioni centar. ISBN978-9958-9544-5-0.
Sekulić, Milisav (2000). Knin je pao u Beogradu [Knin Fell in Belgrade] (in Serbian). Nidda Verlag. UDK: 3 355.45 (497.5-074) "1991/1995".
