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How did the conflict between Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats develop during the Bosnian War?

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Bosnian conflict: destruction in Sarajevo — Bosnian War Buildings and vehicles destroyed in Grbavica, a suburb of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian conflict (1992–95).

During the Bosnian War, the relationship between Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats was characterized by shifting dynamics, moving from initial cooperation to active conflict and eventually to a strategic alliance.12

Initial Cooperation and Conflict

Early in the war, Bosniak government forces and Bosnian Croat forces collaborated to defend against the aggression of the secessionist Serb army. However, this cooperation broke down as Bosnian Croat forces sought to secure a union between Croatia and Croat-majority areas within Bosnia and Herzegovina. By 1993–94, this territorial competition led to a bitter and protracted conflict between Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats, which further weakened the Bosnian government’s military position while it was already struggling against Serb forces.1342

Reconciliation and Alliance

The hostilities between Bosniaks and Croats ceased with the signing of the Washington agreement in March 1994, which established the Bosniak-Croat federation. This alliance proved militarily significant; by the summer of 1995, combined Bosniak-Croat land offensives helped turn the tide against Serb forces, leading to the Dayton Accords that preserved Bosnia as a single state composed of the Bosniak-Croat federation and the Bosnian Serb Republic.215