Sylejman Kllokoqi, a former war cameraman from Kosovo, has shared a harrowing account of his time in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the siege of Sarajevo, where over 11,000 people were killed during the conflict.
In a recent exclusive interview with Tëvë1, Kllokoqi recounted the moment he barely escaped a sniper’s bullet.
Life Under Sniper Fire
During the siege, Sarajevo was riddled with danger zones. “The city was full of places marked ‘do not pass here, sniper present’. Most casualties happened when people went for water or attended funerals,” Kllokoqi said.
He described the exact moment he came under fire:
“I went to get water, thinking it would be safer near the Sarajevo television building. A sniper fired, but he missed by just 5 centimeters. The bullet struck the concrete near my head.”
Quick Thinking Saved His Life
Kllokoqi’s survival instincts were critical. He pretended to be dead, lying still for several minutes before running to safety. His colleagues witnessed the incident from a window and cheered when he escaped unharmed.
“They were calling out, ‘Klloki, Klloki, are you alive?’ and when I ran away, everyone applauded,” he recalled.
Investigations into Sniper Attacks
Recently, Italian prosecutors in Milan have launched investigations into claims that wealthy Italian citizens may have traveled to Sarajevo during the siege, allegedly paying large sums to target civilians.
The revelations underscore the continued international interest in the Sarajevo siege, and the extraordinary risks faced by journalists and civilians alike during the conflict.
