Wreath-laying ceremonies, held on Sunday morning at the monument raised on the site of a mass grave in Skabrnja, marked the beginning of today's day-long commemorations for 28 civilians and 15 Croatian soldiers who were killed on 18 November 1991 when the Serb forces entered this village situated about 20 kilometres inland from the coastal city of Zadar.
Three-day ceremonies commemorating the 21st anniversary of a massacre in Skabrnja started on Saturday afternoon with a Procession of Remembrance from St Mary's Church in the hamlet of Ambar to the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Skabrnja where Mass was said. The procession included all residents of Skabrnja, the families of those killed in the massacre, wartime commanders and defenders of the village, and representatives of veterans' associations.
On 18 November 1991, members of the then Yugoslav People Army (JNA) and Serb rebels, supported by planes, tank units and infantry of the JNA Knin Corps, commanded by Ratko Mladic, broke the resistance of the poorly armed Croatian forces in Skabrnja. Forty-three (43) Croatian civilians and soldiers were killed in the village and during its subsequent occupation, which lasted until the 1995 Croatian army and police operation "Storm", the number of Skabrnja victims rose to 86. Another six villagers were killed by leftover mines after the war. Two thousand people were forced to leave their homes in that period.
