With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Bosnian war 'orphan' snatched as a baby finds father after 16 years

When Mohammed Becirovic returned to his village he found his home a charred ruin, his wife and two daughters gone - abducted by Serbian militiamen.

But 16 years later DNA testing of war orphans revealed that his infant daughter Senida had miraculously survived the conflict and was living with elderly foster parents in the Serbian capital Belgrade.

Plucked by a Serbian soldier from the ruins of their village, Caparde, on the very first day of the war in April 1992, Senida had been given up for adoption.

Devastated by the loss of his family, Mr Becirovic fled to an area controlled by the Bosnian army, where he remained until he was wounded by bombing in 1995.

Together, they went to visit the war memorial, where her own name is inscribed alongside those of her mother and sister.


Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)