The Kostrići massacre ( hr, pokolj u Kostrićima) was the killing 16
Croat
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...
civilians (the entire population of the village) in the village of
Kostrići, near
Hrvatska Kostajnica
Hrvatska Kostajnica (; ; ), often just Kostajnica, is a small town in central Croatia. It is located on the Una river in the Sisak-Moslavina County, south of Petrinja and Sisak and across the river from Bosanska Kostajnica in Bosnia and Herzego ...
by
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
paramilitary unit "Kaline Komogovina" on 15 November 1991 during the
Croatian War of Independence. Among those killed were two children. The oldest victim was 93 years old.
The Serb paramilitary unit of "Kaline Komogovina", which was led by Stevo Borojević "Gadafi", entered the village from two directions, from Hrvatska Kostajnica and
Majur. In one house they found a young woman with two children (aged two and four), whom they asked for her husband, Zlatko Jurić. After being told that he had gone to the neighbouring village
Stubalj, the three were killed. The husband reported the crime to
Milan Martić
Milan Martić ( sr-cyr, Милан Мартић; born 18 November 1954) is a Croatian Serb politician and war criminal who served as the president of the unrecognized Republic of Serbian Krajina between 1994 and 1995, during the Croatian War of In ...
's militia (the police force of
SAO Krajina
The Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Krajina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Srpska autonomna oblast Krajina, Српска аутономна област Крајина) or SAO Krajina () was a self-proclaimed Serbian autonomous region (oblast) wit ...
) in Kostajnica, and was then killed.
The village was looted and burned. Only seven victims were identified. Some victims were found after the war in burned and destroyed homes.
After committing the massacre in Kostrići, the same Serb paramilitary unit massacred another 38 Croat civilians in the nearby villages of
Majur,
Graboštani and
Stubalj.
Two alleged members of the paramilitary unit have been charged with killing five police officers and two civilians in the village
Volinja in October 1991.
In 2011 a monument to the victims, with names inscribed, was unveiled in the village.
See also
*
List of massacres in the Croatian War
The following is a list of massacres that occurred in the Croatian War of Independence. Numbers may be approximate.
See also
*List of massacres in Yugoslavia
*List of massacres in Bosnia and Herzegovina
* List of massacres in Serbia
* List of m ...
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kostrici Massacre
Mass murder in 1991
1991 in Croatia
Massacres in 1991
November 1991 events in Europe
Serbian war crimes in the Croatian War of Independence
Massacres in Croatia
Republic of Serbian Krajina
1991 crimes in Croatia
1991 murders in Europe
1990s murders in Croatia
Massacres of Croats
Massacres in the Croatian War of Independence