Battle of Novi Travnik (1992)

While the fighting with Serbs was going on. Croats and Muslims increasingly separated. Croats from Bosnia had an interest in Herceg-Bosna joining Croatia, and Alija was strictly against that idea. Before the battle in Novi Travnik, there were small incidents between the HVO and the ARBiH. In the city of Novi Travnik in 1991 Serbs made up the majority with 3,200 (27.77%), followed by Bosniaks with 3,176 (27.56%) and then Croatians with 2,751 (23.87%). When the Bosnian war started, all the Serbs left Novi Travnik. So the city was divided between Muslims and Croats. When the Croatian-Bosnian war began, the HVO occupied the city and the Bosniaks left the city. Croats became the majority, and that effect can be seen in 2013, with 4,815 (53.45%) Croats and 3,624 (40.23%) Bosniaks.^[2]

The level of Croat-Muslim violence escalated significantly in late October 1992. Outright fighting between the nominal allies appears to have begun first in Novi Travnik on 19 October and then in Vitez the following day.^[3] A truce was arranged in Vitez on 22 October, but Croat forces continued to shell Novi Travnik from the hills outside the town, causing serious damage.^[4]

Gunshots were heard in the streets, snipers fired from buildings, and there were many ambushes in the city.^[5] ARBiH soldiers slowly lost control over parts of the city. And the HVO occupied the streets and tactically they were better. The HVO occupied the police station and managed to secure the entire city under its control. UNPROFOR finally arranged a ceasefire for Novi Travnik on October 23. When the battle was over, many Bosniaks who remained in the city were evacuated during the ceasefire. And the remaining ARBiH soldiers left the city.^{[citation needed]}