Thread by @dynaresam

UNVEILING THE SILENT HEROES - Indonesia's Invisible Bravery in the Heart of Bosnia's Struggle

How did Indonesians carry out an under-the-radar mission to help Bosnia during the most difficult period of the war amidst an internationally imposed embargo?

MUST READ [thread] PART 1

During the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, Bosnia, upon declaring independence, confronted brutal aggression from all directions, making its defense nearly unimaginable. Bosniaks faced an existential threat as a result of widespread ethnic cleansing across the country.

The United Nations Security Council considered the conflict as a civil war and imposed an arms embargo on the entire territory of ex-Yugoslavia. However, the Bosnian side, which possessed the fewest weapons at that moment, suffered the most from the embargo.

While significantly better-equipped enemies from the Serb and later the Croat side began to destroy our villages & cities, the newly formed Bosnian Army strove to arm itself as best it could—through secret channels & routes, by smuggling or by seizing weapons from enemy barracks.

As enemy forces quickly besieged the capital Sarajevo and Bosnia faced threats of falling from the beginning, our brothers from Muslim countries worldwide stepped forward, offering various forms of assistance.

Among the first were the Indonesian brothers, who initiated a secret mission, masterminded by the famous Soeripto and Ustadz Hilmi Aminuddin, may Allah reward them.

"We would receive help in the form of food, but when we were full, the Serbs would continue massacring us." was the sentence that intrigued Soeripto and motivated him to consider fulfilling the special mission.

Soeripto's journey to supply Bosnian forces with weapons began with his introduction to the late Probosutedjo, the younger brother of the late President Soeharto.

After a long discussion about the misery that hit the Muslims there, including the crucial need for weapons, Probosutejo, as per Soeripto, immediately looked him in the eye and asked, "Are you capable?", not having any excuse to refuse, "I can only say, 'I am!'" replied Soeripto.

President Soeharto was informed about this by Prabowo and Sri Edi Swasono, he navigated the mission, but he avoided a direct involvement for obvious reasons.

Together with Hilmi, Soeripto took a flight to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. At the Intercontinental Hotel, they met Adi Sasono, who had also come there to carry out a diplomatic mission between 2 countries. On December 14, 1992, Adi's team met with Bosnian government envoys.

Bosnian representives were Dr. Ismet Grbo and Senahid Bristrić. At the meeting, Adi Sasono handed over food, medicine, clothing, checks worth $200,000 and $100,000 in cash to the Bosnian government envoys.

However, Ripto now had to contemplate how to provide weapons for Bosnian forces. Before proceeding he needed to develop a detailed plan, considering where the funding would come from, the location for purchasing the weapons and deciding who would be responsible for the operation.

Purchasing weapons on behalf of the state was too risky at that time, as it would violate international law and the decision of the UN Security Council. Hence, he opted to take personal responsibility for the mission, with the trust of Hilmi and Prabowo, who secured the funding.

Another question was, where would the weapons come from? Luckily, Hilmi was able to connect Soeripto with the mujahideen network, remnants of the Afghan war with whom he was familiar. Through this network, Soeripto managed to establish the contact with an arms broker in Zagreb.

He secured weapons from Croat deserters who had formerly been part of the disintegrating Yugoslav army. After viewing a substantial amount of weapons at a former Yugoslav Army military airport to which the dealer had access, Soeripto negotiated a deal.

The agreement stipulated that he would take weapons and ammo worth 2,5 million German marks, with the condition that they should be delivered first to the Bosnian army on Mount Igman, then paid afterwards. He would then bring cash secretly from the Indonesian embassy in Budapest.

Now, the crucial question for Soeripto was: 'How can I deliver it?' As we know, at that time, the Bosnian free territory was entirely besieged by the Serb and Croat armies in several circles, making it unimaginable for someone to supply Bosnia.

Once again, it was mastermind Ust. Hilmi who had a plan. The weapons were transported under the guise of a cover mission - an aid distribution operation carried out by the humanitarian agency, the Egyptian Red Crescent. The shipment included various types of humanitarian aid.

However, in a concealed layer, there was a significant load of weapons that they successfully disguised taking a great risk. What followed was the most stressful 9-hour journey in Soeripto's life. Passing through 12-13 checkpoints, uncertain about which army would be in control.

Soeripto was once asked how he avoided suspicion despite having an Asian appearance. He explained that the driver was familiar with the area and took backroads to avoid attention. The most thrilling moment occurred when the truck was halted by a squad of guards at a checkpoint.

Out of the three possibilities - the post could belong to Bosnian army, a Serb separatist militia, or a UN Force post. Soeripto would only be safe if it was a Bosnian post, even if exposed. If it was a Serb checkpoint, his fate would be clear, and yet he risked his life.

If it was a UN Troops post, he could be arrested as a war criminal for supplying weapons during an arms embargo. Fortunately, they managed to pass safely and miraculously deliver the weapons to Mount Igman near the besieged Sarajevo, all while enduring freezing cold weather.

While the cargo was being unloaded, Soeripto found himself surrounded by Muslim mujahideen from various countries who had come to Bosnia to support the Bosnian cause. They mostly volunteered from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and various parts of the Middle East.

The next morning, after the Fajr prayer, the weapons were tested and they functioned perfectly. After this success, Soeripto was invited to participate in a an ambush operation by Bosnians, which he was not fit for, so they laughed and had fun with him on the mountain that day.

In the next part, I will explain what happened after his dramatic return to Zagreb in order to pay the dealer. That situation is definitely worth making a movie about.

Stay tuned! 👀