Bosnian boy's death puts focus on mine fields
Just a reminder of why this work is necessary no matter how long the conflict has been over.
OLOVSKE LUKE, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The last clothes that 6-year-old Tarik Bijelic wore hang on a line in his yard: a red “Miami” basketball jersey, a pair of gray pants, blue size 2 sneakers.
The blood has been washed off. But the jersey carries the mark of tragedy: a long incision between the “i” and the “a” where doctors tried to get to the boy’s shattered chest.
Tarik was hit by a land mine last week as he scavenged in the forest for firewood to help his family make ends meet.
He died in his father’s arms.
