Lučko anti-terrorist unit celebrates 36th anniversary

The most elite unit of the Croatian police, ATJ Lučko, marked the 36th anniversary of its founding on Monday, and the Minister of the Interior, Davor Božinović, took the opportunity to remind everyone that this is a unit that rightfully bears the title of "the homeland's first shield" and has been through all Croatian battlefields.

"The liberation of Croatia is deeply connected to the activities of ATJ Lučko. From the first actions in Pakrac and Plitvice, and then throughout Croatia to the final operations Flash (Bljesak) and Storm (Oluja), in which they had one of the most demanding tasks, because they deployed to the borders of Croatia from Velebit, which they had guarded for three years," said Minister Davor Božinović.

He also emphasized that ATJ Lučko is today a "modern anti-terrorist unit whose standards of training and equipment are on par with the largest and most significant anti-terrorist units in Europe and the world."

"This is evident through their status in the international ATLAS network, which brings together anti-terrorist units," he added.

Božinović pointed out that the members of ATJ Lučko received special recognition this year during the military parade in Paris, where they represented the Republic of Croatia. He mentioned that "the hosts saw who we sent them" and therefore "moved them from the second-to-last row to right behind the French armed forces members."

Speaking about the unit's development, the minister revealed that around 120 million euros have been invested in the special police to date, enabling state-of-the-art equipment.

He added that units like this are formed through rigorous selection and demanding training so that every member is ready to make decisions in the most difficult situations and protect the constitutional order and the safety of citizens.

At the ceremony, tribute was paid to the fallen members of ATJ Lučko, in the presence of high-ranking police officials, families of the fallen, and representatives of Homeland War associations.

"The citizens of the Republic of Croatia know what the Ministry of the Interior and the police in general do—any tasks that the police cannot complete, I guarantee you that ATJ Lučko will execute, from Dubrovnik to Vukovar to Istria," stated Mate Bilobrk, commander of ATJ Lučko.

Source: HRT