Practically every mainstream reference to Srebrenica is accompanied by the “8,000 executed men and boys” refrain. Although ICTY exhumation statistics reflect a scant presence of underage males among the victims, the inclusion of “boys” is clearly meant to prejudice the issue by framing it in frankly emotional terms. The implication is that males in their teens were by definition hors de combat, which is another convenient way to put critics of the official Srebrenica narrative morally on the defensive. It so happens, however, that there is an order signed by the chairman of the War Presidency of the Municipality of Srebrenica, Hajrudin Avdić, to the effect that all males between the ages of 16 and 60 were subject to the military draft. The document is designated in ICTY files as no. 7D00-0688. The stamp in the upper right hand corner reflects that this document was made available by the Tribunal to the Republic of Srpska commission that investigated Srebrenica in 2004. In considering the practice of other countries in this regard, it is useful to recall that during the 2004 siege of Fallujah, Iraq, Coalition forces treated even boys as young as 15 as potential combatants. The position was further elaborated in 2012 when Coalition forces in Iraq “embraced a disputed method for counting civilian casualties … It in effect counts all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants, according to several administration officials, unless there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent.” (New York Times, May 29, 2012) It is doubtful that rehabilitation based on posthumous intelligence information would have done much to assuage the pain of the murdered youths’ families.
Srebrenica military draft order ENG
Srebrenica military draft order BHS
Captured underage militant in Iraq:
