Battle of Kupres (1994)

Battle of Kupres
Part of the Bosnian War
Map of Operations Autumn-94 and Cincar
Date 20 October – 3 November 1994 Location Southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina Result ARBiH and HVO victory
Belligerents
Bosnia and Herzegovina  Herzeg-Bosnia  Croatia	Republika Srpska
Commanders and leaders
Rasim Delić Mehmed Alagić Tihomir Blaškić Ante Roso Josip Černi	Ratko Mladić Grujo Borić
Units involved
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatian Defence Council Croatian Army	Army of Republika Srpska
Strength
3,130 soldiers (19 October) 8,500 soldiers (1 November) Unknown	2,700 soldiers (19 October) 3,000 soldiers (1 November)
Casualties and losses
41 killed 162 wounded 4 killed 15 wounded	Unknown

The Battle of Kupres (Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: Bitka za Kupres) was a battle of the Bosnian War, fought between the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) and the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) on one side and the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) on the other from 20 October to 3 November 1994. It marks the first tangible evidence of the Bosniak–Croat alliance set out in the Washington Agreement of March 1994, brokered by the United States to end the Croat–Bosniak War fought between the ARBiH and the HVO in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The ARBiH and the HVO were not coordinated at first, rather they launched separate operations aimed at capture of Kupres.

The ARBiH offensive, codenamed Autumn-94 (Jesen-94), started on 20 October, with the primary aim of advancing from Bugojno towards VRS-held Donji Vakuf, supported by a secondary attack towards Kupres aimed at disruption of the VRS defences and threatening a supply route to Donji Vakuf. The primary attacking force soon ground to a halt, shifting the focus of the operation to Kupres, where substantial reinforcements were deployed to ensure a gradual advance of the ARBiH. On 29 October, the HVO decided to attack, as it considered the ARBiH had directly threatened the strategic Kupres plateau. The HVO launched its offensive, codenamed Operation Cincar (Operacija Cincar), on 1 November. Following a brief lull in the ARBiH advance, thought to be brought on by a variety of causes and a direct request by the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina Alija Izetbegović to the ARBiH to cooperate with the HVO, commanding officers of the two forces met to coordinate their operations for the first time since the Washington Agreement. Kupres itself was captured by the HVO on 3 November 1994.^{[citation needed]}

Besides the political significance of the battle for future developments of the war in Bosnia, the battle was militarily significant for planning and execution of Operation Winter '94 by the Croatian Army (HV) and the HVO aimed at relieving the siege of Bihać in late November and December 1994. Territorial gains made by the HVO and the ARBiH in the Battle of Kupres safeguarded the right flank of Operation Winter '94.^{[citation needed]}