Info from the page Domovina Bosna i Hercegovina.

Summary

This letter and photographs are the only remnants of Anel’s parents. Born in 1990 in Ključ, Anel lost his mother, Nurka, and newborn sister in June 1992, when they were abducted and killed en route to Drvar. At two years old, he was raised by his 16-year-old aunt, Mirsada. In 1995, his father was killed by a sniper on Mount Vlašić and buried in Travnik. Years of searching ended in 2009, when DNA confirmed the remains of his mother and sister in a mass grave near Drvar; his sister was buried unnamed. Today, Anel is married with children, reflecting on a childhood stolen by war.

This letter and the photographs are the only memories of Anel’s parents.

“I’m writing to let you know that I am well and healthy, which I wish for you as well. You wrote to me that you are all well and healthy, that my king is the best and that he constantly calls me. I call him too, but he doesn’t hear. His father will come to him when he can. Please send me at least his picture so I can see him…”

The sister is buried without a name, as she didn’t survive even a day

“I was born in 1990 in Ključ, where I lived with my parents. I was only two years old when, on June 11, 1992, my mother Nurka went to give birth. She was sent by ambulance from the Health Center to Drvar, where she disappeared without a trace. On the road through Oštrelj, towards Drvar, they threw her out of the vehicle. Somewhere along the way, she gave birth, and then both she and my sister vanished without a trace.

My aunt Mirsada, who was only 16 at the time, took care of me.

As a child, I was aware of everything happening, and the family included me in the search for my mother. My father decided to go to Travnik, and my aunt and I went with him. He was shot by a sniper on April 6, 1995, on Mount Vlašić.

When my father died, it was a shock for all of us, as he was highly respected both in the family and beyond. He was buried at the martyr’s cemetery in Travnik.

After that, I stayed to live with my aunt and her family.

For years, we searched for my mother and sister. It wasn’t until 2009 that we found their remains in a mass grave in Drvar near the Šobić cemetery. My sister didn’t survive even one day. DNA analysis confirmed their identity. The sister was buried without a name.

Today, I am married and have two children. Back then, I was a child and didn’t understand many things, but as I grow older, I now realize how much I was missing.

No child deserves the suffering and pain of living without parents.

Unfortunately, I don’t remember what my mother looked like at all.

Muzej zločina protiv čovječnosti i genocida 1992-1995 – Museum of genocide.