Izet Nanić


Izet Nanić was a Bosnian Army brigade commander during the Bosnian war of independence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Family

An ethnic Bosniak, Izet Nanić was born to Ibrahim and Rasima, as second of seven children. His younger brother Nevzet was killed near Bosanska Krupa on 30 June 1992, at the start of the war in Bosnia.
He was married to a woman named Sefija. Together they had three children; a daughter and two sons.

Career

Until January 1991, Nanić was an officer of the Yugoslav People's Army, when he returned to his home in Bužim due to a broken leg. He was a lieutenant of the Yugoslav Air Force and Antiaircraft Defence in Kragujevac, Serbia. Before the war in Bosnia, he was one of commanders in the Yugoslav army in the Vukovar battle fighting against the Croatian army. At the beginning of Bosnian War, he joined the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He became the commander of the 505th Brigade of the 5th Corps led by Brigadier General Atif Dudaković. He led the command for four years, the entire war. Izet Nanić was killed in action on 5 August 1995.

Legacy

Nanić is seen by the Bosniaks as a legendary commander, as his brigade liberated and brought under Bosniak control, several cities and towns, including Velika Kladuša in Operation Tiger and Sanski Most, Bosanska Krupa and Ključ in Operation Sana.
In 1998, Nanić was posthumously awarded the Order of the Golden Lily and the Order of Hero of the Liberation war - the highest honorary title that used to be awarded by the government of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.