Bosnia Security Forces Disband Croatian Unit as Rift Widens

Security forces virtually shut down Sarajevo early Saturday as they disbanded a Croatian militia and accused its members of jeopardizing the capital’s defenses by cooperating with Serbs.

It was the latest sign of the widening rift between Croatian and Muslim military commanders, once allies against the Serbian forces that have dominated Bosnia’s war.

The security sweep appeared to end by early afternoon. Earlier, movement was sharply restricted and soldiers barred journalists and U.N. vehicles from most of central and western Sarajevo.

The Red Cross also had to call off a long-planned convoy that was to have taken nearly 1,500 Serbian, Croatian and Muslim refugees out of the city.

It was the third time in two weeks that the army and police had fanned out across Sarajevo in what they said were clampdowns on crime and black-marketeering.

The target Saturday was the Croatian Defense Council, or HVO, the Croatian militia that has been allied with the Muslim-led government for much of the 19-month-old war.

Several groups of HVO troops were seen being marched through the city under armed guard, and HVO barracks were occupied by army troops.

The Croatian commander, Slavko Zelic, reportedly was arrested. The security sweep appeared to have come off with little or no violence.

In a statement on Bosnian radio, the army said it was disbanding the HVO. It accused some members of “actively cooperating” with Serbian forces around Sarajevo, jeopardizing its defenses.