Oklaj
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Oklaj is a small town in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia. It is located in inland of the Dalmatia Adriatic coastline, about 15 km south of Knin and 14 km northwest of Drniš. It is situated between the southwest slopes of Promina mountain and the southern bank of the Krka river, it is 274 m (902 feet) above sea level, geographically located at . Its favourable geographic position in the south-western part of Dinaric regions, provides an excellent connection for traffic between Central Croatia inland and the Adriatic Sea.
Oklaj is an administration centre of Promina municipality. Its municipality population is around 2000 (2001.), with 800 in the town itself and the rest in 13 surrounding villages. Promina municipality includes these villages: Citluk, Razvodje, Lukar, Suknovci, Matasi, Puljani, Mratovo, Bogetici, Ljubotic, Marasovine, Necven, Podi and Bobodol.
Until the beginning of the Domovinski rat (1991.), 2,574 residents lived in Promina district (including Oklaj,Razvodje, Mratovo, Marase, Puljane, Ljubotic, Citluk, Bogatic, Suknovci,Bobodol, Lukar): 85 per cent Croatians and 14 per cent Serbs. Members of Serb (ir)regular units (Četnici) and irregular "SAO Krajina Militia" or "Martic's Unit", along with the soldiers of the "YPA 9th Corps" from Knin occupied Promina, and forcibly displaced cca 2,000 Croatian civilians. The remaining population of Croatian nationality was terrorized. Members of the occupying self-proclaimed authorities placed explosive devices (mines, hand grenades...) at places where they expected the passage of Croatian civilians (in front of houses and barns, in gardens, in hay-stacks...). Croatian owned family houses were ransacked daily, Croatian owned property looted. Croatian male civilians were groundlessly taken to Knin and imprisoned. After months of imprisonment, some of them were released, and then they were arrested again and returned to the Knin prison. Most of the Croatian owned family houses were looted, and then blown up or burnt down.
Five Catholic churches were set on fire and destroyed in Promina, one church was devastated. 36 Croatian civilians were killed in the period between September 1991 and December 1993.
