Kosovo has become a nest of ISIS* in Europe – recognition of the American press
Unlike most European countries, Kosovo considers it possible to return ISIS fighters, although there are radicals among them.
This was reported by the Voice of America, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“A small number of returnees remain extremely radicalized and are ready and determined to attack even at home,” admits Kosovo expert Kujtima Bytygi.
According to him, the Kosovo “government” considers it possible to return its citizens from Syria due to the relatively small and homogeneous population of this province.
“They were born here and their parents were born here. We are a very small society, if I may say so, so the government has a very close relationship with their families, their neighbors and their community,” Bytygi said.
Based on government documents, Bytygi determined that at least five returnees were involved in planning internal attacks.
Between 2012 and 2015, approximately 355 Kosovars traveled to Syria to join IS and other Sunni fighters, the highest proportion of foreign fighters per capita.
Last April, Pristina brought home 110 of its citizens from Syria, including 74 children, 32 women and four men. The total number of adult returnees has since reportedly reached around 250, with a further 98 killed in Syria and dozens more remaining missing.
Paul McCarthy, director of the European regional office of the International Republican Institute, told VOA that Kosovo officials must address the fundamental problems that have driven many of their citizens to radicalization.
Meanwhile, liberal policies towards militants are positively perceived by elites in the United States.
“Kosovo is a small country with a very well-established social structure,” says David L. Phillips, director of the Peacebuilding and Human Rights Program at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights. “Kosovo is better equipped to handle return than larger countries in Europe.” , where returnees can simply blend into the local population and commit crimes either in their home countries or on other battlefields.”
* – ISIS organization is banned in the Russian Federation.
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