The residents of Strpce about the 1999 bombing: May it never happen again, we still struggle with that horror

The residents of Strpce highlighted for Kosovo Online on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing, which began on this day, that they remembered that period as terrible and horrifying, with the desire that it never happened again.

One of the residents, Srecko Milosavljevic, emphasizes that he did not expect the bombing to occur.

"Horrifying, I didn't even expect the bombing to happen, but the world powers did everything to make it happen. Perhaps, as far as the Albanians themselves are concerned, the bombing wouldn't have happened, but the world powers did it because they practically forced the Albanians to sign the agreement, saying we can't bomb Serbia and Yugoslavia unless you sign. Unexpectedly, but it happened catastrophically for us, and there is still no solution in sight. The whole situation is terrible," Milosavljevic said.

Ivan Stojcetovic was 11 years old during the bombing.

"We remember that period badly and have a bad experience with it. We still struggle with it and still feel threatened. Since the bombing onwards, we have lost many people," Stojcetovic emphasized.

Veselinka Banzic from Prizren recalls that time with tears in her eyes, especially because her sons were not by her side.

"We thought it was all a lie, but it wasn't. I am from Prizren, and before the bombing, we experienced a lot there. When you have children there, what can you expect? We were in Sredska, in the countryside at my mother's, but it felt like we were on the border because from our village, you could see the border up there. Whether they were cluster bombs, one ball and then six spread out from it, and so on. The border was burning. I'm excited, and I remember everything. God forbid it should happen again, just let there be peace, and let us all live normally," Banzic said.

The sounds of sirens and the period of bombing have left Rodoljub Mladenovic with bad memories.

"I was a child, but as far as I remember, there were the sounds of sirens, going into shelters; I know it was terrible, especially for us children who weren't aware of what was happening. At that age, we, the youth, viewed life differently, and for us, it was at least a surprise," Mladenovic emphasized.