STRANI RATNICI TERORISTI

Zapadni Balkan je značajan izvor stranih ratnika terorista koji idu u Siriju i Irak, posebno kad se u obzir uzme omjer po glavi stanovnika. BiH, Kosovo, Makedonija i Albanija posebno su značajan izvor.

Ne postoji jednoobrazni profil stranih ratnika terorista sa zapadnog Balkana. Pojedinci su radikalizovani i motivirani da se bore u Siriji i Iraku nizom faktora. Ekonomska stagnacija i nedostatak opcija za zapošljavanje su neki od njih. A ovo se još pojačava skepticizmom građana prema njihovim vladama.

Zemlje zapadnog Balkana uzimaju ovu prijetnju veoma ozbiljno – Albanija, BiH, Kosovo, Makedonija, Crna Gora i Srbija sve su donijele zakon kojim se osuđuju strani ratnici i podrška njima. SAD nude značajnu pomoć kroz tehničke savjete, obuku u gradnji kapaciteta u slučajevima terorizma i jačanju zakona. Osim toga, SAD su nedavno postavile tužitelja SAD u ambasadu u Tirani kao rezidentnog pravnog savjetnika protiv terorizma sa regionalnim odgovornostima.

Albanija, BiH, Kosovo i Srbija su pohapsili osumnjičene ratnike teroriste i u procesu su istrage i nihovo dalje gonjenje. SAD omogućuju slučaj baziran na praćenju u Albaniji, BiH i Kosovu da pomogne istražiteljima i tužiteljima da efektivno riješe te slučajeve.

FOREIGN TERRORIST FIGHTERS

The western Balkans are a significant source of foreign terrorist fighters going to Syria and Iraq, particularly when considered as a per capita proportion of the population. BiH, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Albania in particular are notable source countries.

There is no one-size-fits-all profile of a foreign terrorist fighter from the western Balkans. Individuals are being radicalized and motivated to fight in Syria and Iraq by a number of factors. Economic stagnation and lack of employment options are factors. This is compounded by skepticism of citizens about their governments.

The western Balkan countries are taking this threat very seriously – Albania, BiH, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia have all passed legislation criminalizing foreign fighters and support for them. The U.S. is providing significant assistance through technical advice, training in capacity building in terrorism cases and legislative strengthening. In addition, the U.S. has recently placed a U.S. prosecutor in the Embassy in Tirana as a Counterterrorism Resident Legal Adviser with regional responsibilities.

Albania, BiH, Kosovo, and Serbia have all arrested suspected foreign fighters and are in the process of investigating and prosecuting them. The U.S. is providing case based mentoring in Albania, BiH and Kosovo to assist investigators and prosecutors to effectively prosecute their cases.