The central ceremonies in observance of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and Homeland War Veterans' Day, observed on 5 August, began in the southern town of Knin on Monday morning with the ceremony of hoisting Croatia's flag at the town fortress.
In attendance were Croatia's top officials including President and Croatian Armed Forces Supreme Commander Ivo Josipovic, Parliament Speaker Josip Leko, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, the armed forces' chief-of-staff General Drago Lovric and other senior officials and political parties' leaders.
The event was also attended by retired Generals Ante Gotovina, Mladen Markac and Dario Krsticevic, Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) president Tomislav Karamakos, Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences president Zvonko Kusic, president of the Bosnian HDZ party Dragan Covic and former prime minister Jadranka Kosor.
Church bells rang at 0943 hrs in remembrance of the exact time when Croatian defenders entered Knin 18 years ago.
Croatia's Air Force aircraft performed an aerobatics in the skies over Knin.
The ceremonies will continue with the address of President Josipovic to participants who will gather in Knin's main square, and a mass in memory of that liberating operation will be said in the local church.
Croatia is marking August 5 as Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and War Veterans' Day and commemorating the 18th anniversary of Operation Storm, a military victory in which the country regained control of most of its occupied territory. In only 84 hours Croatian troops liberated close to 10,500 square kilometres or one-fifth of the country's territory.
More than 200,000 soldiers and police took part in the biggest operation of the Homeland War, of whom 174 were killed and over 1,400 wounded.
