One more victim of 1995 Srebrenica genocide identified

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Bosnia Herzegovina on Monday identified a person who was murdered in the 1995 Srebrenica genocide.

The Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia said that the remains of the person's bones were found in the mass grave near the city of Zvornik in 2001 and identified as Musan Siljkovic after DNA processing.

According to the institute, Siljkovic was 39 years old when he was killed.

Siljkovic will be buried in Srebrenica during the commemoration ceremonies to be held on July 11, 2024.

The Bosnian Muslims were killed when Bosnian Serb forces attacked Srebrenica in July 1995, despite the presence of Dutch peacekeeping troops.

Serb forces were trying to wrest territory from Bosnian Muslims and Croats to form a state.

The UN Security Council declared Srebrenica a "safe area" in the spring of 1993. But troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic overran the UN zone. He was later found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Dutch troops failed to act as Serb forces occupied the area, killing 2,000 men and boys on July 11, 1995 alone.

About 15,000 residents of Srebrenica fled to the surrounding mountains, but Serb troops hunted them down and killed 6,000 more people.

The bodies of victims have been found in 570 areas across the country.

In 2007, the International Court of Justice at The Hague ruled that a genocide had been committed in Srebrenica.