According to the ICTY, Croat/HVO forces attacked the villages of Doljani and Sovići, about 50 kilometers north of Mostar in the morning on 17 April 1993.

The attack was part of a larger Croatian Defence Forces offensive aimed at taking Jablanica, the main Bosnian Muslim dominated town in the area.

For the Bosnian Army, it was a gateway to the plateau of Risovac, which could create conditions for further progression towards the Adriatic coast.

At least 400 Bosnian Muslim civilians were detained and the HVO advance towards Jablanica was halted after a cease-fire agreement was negotiated.

[2] Muslim houses in the area were burned and mosques were systematically destroyed to ensure the Bosniak population would not return.