THEY CAN SET BALKANS ON FIRE, terrorists at the door: Jihadists - insidious evil that lurks

Europe is in for a gloom future because of terrorism, while Balkan is not a priority to Jihadists so far, unless they receive instructions to start the attacks, professor from Faculty of Safety Milan Mijalkovic commented on the situation with the returning fighters from the Middle East. American ambassador in Serbia Kyle Scott confirmed that the danger of terrorism is not at all harmless. He warned that the states of Western Balkans are the target for recruitment and key route for extremists entry. 

Recommended

Not to be forgotten: 13 years since the terrible pogrom of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija

The loss of territory Islamic state is facing is returning the fighters from abroad that waged war for it back to Europe and there are more and more signals that show the remains of Islamists moving across Balkans, writes Roman "Republic".

Foto: Profimedia/Abaca

It is stated that there has been significant reduction in Jihadists departure towards Middle East from last summer, because the border with Turkey has been closed, so caliphate called upon the supporters to stay where they are and "spread fear on west".

"Republic" in an article published three weeks ago wrote about the warning set forth in the report presented to Italian government by PM Paolo Gentiloni and chief of Italian intelligence Alessandro Pansa, which states that Balkan "continues to be some kind of recruitment center for fighters and sanctuary for those fighters who return from the Middle East crisis".

Professor Mijalkovski recently warned that the jihadists marked "Balkan Caliphate" in the region a long time ago.

Printskin: Youtube/Al Jazeera Balkans

They sent a couple of threats, and they virtually gave instructions to their members who have returned from the battlefield in what way it is necessary to carry out terrorist attacks.

- Maybe some of them will individually decide to do so, but it is likely for them to wait for instructions and only then they will begin terrorist attacks - he said.

Mijalkovski warns that according to some data, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that is, primarily, in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, at least a few hundred fighters have returned, 1700 in Europe since they began to suffer defeats in the Middle East.

Foto: Profimedia/Abaca

The provisional authorities in Pristina have also recently announced that around 316 persons from Kosovo participated in conflicts in the Middle East, including 44 women and twenty-seven children. It is believed that there are 140 people still in war zones, and that 117 returned to Kosovo.

Kosovo is currently conducting investigations against 237 people on suspicion of being accomplices in the organization and commission of terrorist offenses, recruitment and financing of terrorism. From 2013 until today, 127 people were arrested.

However, the recruitment process is still ongoing. Particularly after Kosovo's prisons.

Foto: Tanjug/Boki

About 40 convicts serving sentences in nine Kosovo prisons because of their links with terrorist organizations ISIS, "spend" their time recruiting other prisoners for the idea of Islamic radicalism of this movement. They are helped by imams of dubious origin, without the knowledge of the official Islamic community in Kosovo.

Due to the spread of these messages in early March in Kosovo, indictment against Shefqet Krasniqi has been raised, imam of a large mosque, Mehmet Fatih in Pristina, who is, among other things, suspected of instigating the execution of terrorist acts and inciting hatred, ethnic, racial, religious and ethnic strife in the period from 2013 to 2014.

Prizren danas. U prvom planu je Kameni most iznad Prizrenske Bistrice, u drugom Sinan-pašina džamija. Nema mnogo sprskih srednjevekovnih građevina koje su preživele osmanlijsko ropstvo. Foto: Wikimedia Commons/Tobias Klenze

Kosovo has around 800 mosques and around 2.000 people employed in the Islamic community, those who are claimed to be under the control of regular Islamic community of Kosovo.

The ambassador of USA Kyle Scott spoke about the problem of recruiting potential terrorists. He said that Islamic state has propaganda strategy for Balkans and that they are using the language of the region and social networks in order to recruit. 

Foto: Tanjug/ Sava Radovanović

- We should think how to approach to young people, and to critically think about what they read and listen - said Scott.

Minister of Internal affairs Nebojsa Stefanovic said that 28 citizens of Serbia are in Syria and Iraq and he said that the goal of the ministry is reduction of promoting radical ideologies.

- Ministry of Internal Affairs has invested significant efforts in the past to reveal early the persons who may participate in the radicalization - said Stefanovic.

Foto: Tanjug/ Sava Radovanović

He explained that one of the suggestions of Serbia to the European Union was to found a regional center for de-radicalization, and that means, he said, investing money in working with young people.

He said that Serbia wants to be the partner to other countries, even the bigger and stronger in fight against extremism and he said that he will not stop from fighting.

- Only united we can reach results - he said.

(Telegraf.co.uk / Tanjug / Sputnjik / Srna)