Sniper Alley
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Red triangles represent snipers' posts, and their fields of fire shaded in yellow. The red thin line is the Sniper Alley. |
"Sniper Alley" is informal name for the main boulevard in
Sarajevo which during the
Bosnian War was lined with
snipers' posts, and became infamous as a dangerous place for civilians to traverse. The road connects the industrial part of the city to the Old Town's cultural and historic sites. The boulevard itself has many high-rise buildings giving
sniper shooters extensive fields of fire.
Mountains surrounding the city were also used for sniper positions, providing a safe distance and giving an excellent view on the city and its traffic. Although the city was under constant
siege, its people still had to move about the city in order to survive, thus routinely risking their lives. Signs reading "Pazi â€" Snajper!" ("Watch out â€" Sniper!") became common. People would either run fast across the street or would wait for
United Nations armored vehicles and walked behind them, using them as shields. According to data gathered in
1995, the snipers wounded 1,030 persons and killed 225, 60 of whom were children.[
1]
Sniper Alley was fictionally depicted in the film
The Peacemaker.
*
Siege of Sarajevo
