Rarely seen, distressing photos of NATO bombing: All the pain of our people's suffering is in them

Photo: S. Pikula

The horrid, frightening sounds of air raid sirens announced, exactly 22 years ago, the start of the suffering of the Serbian people, Serbian children, youth, innocent folk who were not lucky enough to be saved from NATO bombs.

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22 years ago, on March 24, the bombing of then Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) began. Horrific scenes of mutilated, dead people and blood in the streets, of bombed buildings razed to the ground went around the world, and left an indelible, painful trace in the memory of Serbians. Not to be repeated - but also not to be forgotten.

Let Serbian pilots who did not allow those younger than them to die not be forgotten, and let the killing of innocent children, like toddler Milica Rakic, killed with cluster munitions in Belgrade when she was only 3 years old, be remembered forever.

In the memories of all of us, who, unfortunately, even if only via TV screens, witnessed the cruelty that a war can bring, will remain the bloodied roads, the fear engraved in the faces of people watching "carpet bombings" unfold before their eyes, the pain of the loss of loved ones.

For 78 days, which is how long the bombing lasted, it seemed like our lives stopped and were reduced to bomb shelters. Yet even then, between "pauses" of the ominous sound of sirens, no one could stifle life in young people, who would take to the streets to play football or volleyball. Not even bombs could.

(Telegraf.rs)