The leaders of the uprising in Kozara met on 15 August 1941 in the village of Knežica. At the conference, Stojanović was recognised as the principal leader in Kozara; this recognition mostly resulted from his pre-war social status and good reputation among the people. It was concluded that forming a front line was a mistake because it was not consistent with guerrilla warfare. At some point during the conference, Stojanović stressed the importance of keeping as many enemy troops as possible in the area, so that they could not be sent to the Russian front to fight the Red Army. As the five detachments in the area were tied to their specific territories, it was decided that another detachment—which could operate anywhere in Kozara—should be formed. It was decided that Stojanović would command this new Kozara Detachment, and Karabegović would be the political commissar. It was promptly formed with about forty men. Carrying a red banner, the Kozara Detachment paraded for a couple of days through villages in the Partisan-held territory. The villagers gathered and Stojanović delivered speeches.