What tactics did snipers use during the Sarajevo siege and how did they choose targets?
Executive summary
Snipers were a systematic terror tool during the 1992–95 siege of Sarajevo: positions on surrounding hills and in high-rise buildings gave shooters clear lines of fire into civilian areas, and research and tribunal findings attribute hundreds of deaths in the city to sniper campaigns (snipers were responsible for an estimated 300–350 deaths in Sarajevo; overall siege casualties about 11,000) [1][2]. Recent Italian investigations probe allegations that some foreigners paid to join “sniper safaris” run from Serb positions above the city; those allegations remain under inquiry and not yet proven in court [3][1].
1. How snipers were deployed — the geometry of terror
Throughout the siege, Bosnian Serb forces occupied the hills surrounding Sarajevo and used both elevated mountain positions and tall city buildings to deliver sniper and artillery fire into built-up civilian areas; those positions produced “extensive fields of fire” over major boulevards such as Sniper Alley, making everyday movement extremely hazardous [4][1]. International investigators and historians describe the sniper campaign as deliberate and continuous, a component of a broader campaign of shelling and terror that victimized residents trying to fetch water, go to school or shop [5][6].
2. Tactics used by snipers — selection, concealment and persistent pressure
Available reporting describes classic sniper tactics: siting in elevated, concealed positions with long sight-lines; using precision rifles from safe distance; and firing at people on predictable civilian routes to maximize fear. The campaign combined targeted shots and apparently random killings to sustain a climate of constant danger—signs reading “Watch out for snipers!” were common across the city [4][6]. Tribunal reporting and witness accounts emphasize the psychological goal: to terrorize civilians as part of a siege strategy [7].
3. Targeting patterns — civilians, children and symbolic victims
Multiple sources report that snipers fired at civilians engaged in routine activities—children playing, people fetching water, commuters on main thoroughfares—and that this pattern included high-profile or symbolic killings that amplified fear [5][4]. Some reporting and testimonies assert that attackers sometimes shot children and that different victims were allegedly assigned different prices in alleged “tourist” schemes, though those specific pricing claims are part of the new allegations now being investigated in Italy and are not adjudicated [8][9].
4. Accountability and legal findings on sniper terror
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted commanders for “shelling and sniper terror” campaigns in Sarajevo—showing that courts have treated the sniper campaign as criminal strategy rather than random crossfire [7]. Yet many individual shooters were never personally held to account; survivors and reporting note a persistent absence of individual accountability for many sniper killings [5].
5. The “sniper safari” allegations — what the inquiries say and what they do not yet prove
In 2025 Milan prosecutors opened an inquiry after a complaint by an Italian journalist alleging that groups of foreigners paid Bosnian Serb forces to take them to vantage points above Sarajevo to fire on civilians, sometimes for high fees; media cite witness testimony and a 2022 documentary that revived the claims [3][1][6]. Prosecutors have not yet named suspects or announced prosecutions; sources stress these remain allegations under investigation rather than established facts [1][10].
6. Conflicting perspectives and limits of the record
Some veterans and observers say they never heard of such “sniper tourism” during the 1990s, and historical reporting on these alleged foreign “weekend snipers” has been inconsistent over decades [10]. Investigative journalists, documentary makers and complainants say they have collected witness statements and reports (including by Sarajevo’s former mayor) that warrant judicial scrutiny [11][12]. Available sources do not provide court verdicts or definitive proof that the alleged foreign “sniper tourists” carried out killings—Italian prosecutors are still investigating [1].
7. Why the details matter — legal, historical and moral stakes
If proven, the “sniper safari” claims would expand accountability from commanders and state forces to individuals who allegedly paid to participate in killings—changing the historical record and raising novel legal and moral questions about responsibility for wartime atrocities [3][1]. Survivors and civic groups in Sarajevo have renewed calls for justice in response to the probe; many stress that uncovering the truth is both a legal and moral imperative [13].
Limitations: this account relies solely on recent press reports, documentary sources and tribunal records compiled in the cited coverage; court findings on the new allegations are not yet available, and many specifics remain under investigation [1][10].