After Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia, the town of Mostar was subjected to an 18 month siege. The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) first bombarded Mostar on 3 April 1992 and over the following week gradually established control over large portions of the town. By 12 June 1992, the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) and the 4th Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) in a joined action amassed enough strength to force the JNA out of Mostar. The JNA responded with heavy shelling. Amongst the destroyed buildings were a Franciscan monastery, the Catholic cathedral, the bishop's palace (with a library collection of over 50,000 books), a number of secular institutions as well as the Karadžoz-bey mosque, as well as thirteen other mosques.