A pair of U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers flew low over Sarajevo and several other Bosnian cities on Tuesday as a sign of support amid continued secessionist threats by the staunchly pro-Russia Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik.
In addition, the aircraft also participated in a joint military event in the north-eastern town of Tuzla with Bosnia’s multi-ethnic army and U.S. Army Special Forces.
The flights were a demonstration of “a rock-solid commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Bosnia, said the U.S. ambassador to the Balkan country, Michael Murphy.
Murphy added that United States “remain steadfast and committed” to the relationship with the Bosnian armed forces “in the face of political stability within (Bosnia) and acute threat from malign actors outside” the country.
Dodik, who is the president of Bosnia’s Serb-run part, Republika Srpska, has repeatedly advocated for the breakup of the country and voiced his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier this month, he travelled to Moscow to meet with Putin and reiterate his support for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
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