Radicalization and extremism are increasing in the 21st century. In such an environment, the Balkan geography is also influenced by the global trend in question. It is known that especially young people have some extremist tendencies. In this context, the activities of the terrorist organization State of Iraq and the Levant (DEASH) which has established links with local groups in different parts of the world and has formed subunits within its organizational structure in the Balkans draw attention.
As it is known, the DEASH terrorist organization has a presence in many countries around the world. It establishes regional structures through the structures it has established in different geographies. Today, it is known that the organization, based in Afghanistan, operates in South and Central Asia through the so-called Emirate of Khorasan (ISKP). However, DEASH, whose subordinate branches do not consist of the ISKP, is organized in various geographies with different names.
Among the extensions of the organization, the so-called Sinai Province which emerged in Egypt in 2014 and the so-called Sana Province which began to exist in Yemen in 2015 can be mentioned. In addition, the terrorist organization DEASH, which established ties with groups in Kashmir in December 2017, organizes terrorist attacks in the region under the name of the so-called Emirate of Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK). However, there are also groups in countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines that declare their allegiance to DEASH.
The Balkan geography is not a region to be ignored for DEASH, which aims for a global caliphate. Thus it is possible to say that the organization is interested in the region. For instance, in 2015, a video was published as part of the propaganda work carried out by the organization to gain supporters from the Balkans. The video, titled “Honor is in Jihad, A Message to the Balkan People” revealed that the region is within the organization’s area of interest. In the video, it was seen that there was a call for jihad made by Bosnian and Albanian members of the organization to the Balkan peoples.[1]
Although the interest in the terrorist organization DEASH among the Balkan people is not as intense as in other geographies, the region is one of the geographies where the organization wants to expand its sphere of influence. Thus, the fragility of the economies of the regional states and the high youth unemployment rate in these countries accelerate the orientation towards the organization. In addition, the terrorist organization DEASH uses the Balkan geography both in terms of recruiting personnel and as a route for the Middle East-West transition.
In 2015 Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina of the time, Dragan Mektic stated that there are no camps of armed terrorist groups in their country and foreign investors should not be concerned about potential security risks.[2] This statement is very important in terms of showing that the countries of the region are afraid that the possible activities of the organization will hurt foreign investments.
In making such statements it was decided that the impact of the DEASH terrorist organization on the Balkan geography and the Balkan people came to the agenda during the period in question. Because it is stated that a large number of people from the region have joined the terrorist organization DEASH to participate in the conflicts in the Middle East. For example, it is known that 130 Bosnian citizens went to Syria in 2015 and joined the DEASH terrorist organization. Of these people 43 have died, 50 have returned to the country and 19 of those who have returned have been judged.[3] There are claims that the Western Balkan countries are the source countries of about 900 foreign fighters acting with DEASH in Syria and Iraq.[4]
At this point, another element that poses a risk and danger to the countries of the region is the current activities of DEASH supporters, even if on a small scale. In other words, it can be said that elements who joined DEASH, but then returned, pose a risk to the region and in particular to the country in which they are located. The possibility of prisons turning into radicalization centres due to those who have been judged and imprisoned has also been in existence since 2017. For this reason, great importance is attached to integration programs in Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A development that shows the risk and anxiety posed by returning elements was also seen in the statement of Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj in 2019. Thus, Haradinaj stated that the return of DEASH terrorists is one of the biggest threats facing the country.[5]
There are also various indications that there are serious dangers for the region at present. For example, in May 2022, the United States (USA) Ministry of Justice announced that Mirsad Kandic, a 40-year-old Kosovo national, was sentenced to life imprisonment for joining the terrorist organization DEASH and providing weapons, equipment and intelligence to the organization. It has also been suggested that Kandic helped establish a secret supply chain of volunteer fighters for the DEASH terrorist organization.[6] This situation reveals that extremists in the countries of the region are making propaganda on behalf of the organization.
It is known that DEASH conducts publishing activities using local groups and the local language within the scope of propaganda activities aimed at the targeted regions. The organization currently has Uzbek and Tajik publications and Pashto journals. It will not be surprising that the region develops a strategy through local supporters to appeal to ethnic identity groups within the scope of methods for the Balkans. For this reason, examples such as Kandic may multiply.
On the other hand, it can be argued that people returning from Syria and Iraq also pose a security problem for the European Union (EU). For example, on November 3, 2020, a gun attack occurred in Vienna, the capital of Austria. The fact that the perpetrator of the incident is of Balkan origin (Macedonian) has made EU countries nervous about controlling radical groups. Therefore, the issue is not only a matter of internal security of the countries of the region. It is also evaluated within the scope of the EU.[7]
As a result, the risks created by DEASH for the Balkans cannot be ignored. In this sense, four main issues pose a risk. The first of these; is the possibility of returning elements to increase radicalization within the country. The second is the possibility of using ethnic tensions in the region by the organization. The third is the possibility that the Balkans will become a bridge for radical elements to reach the West. Fourth, it can be mentioned that radical elements pose a threat to EU security.
[1] “ISIS and Balkans”, Vostokian, https://vostokian.com/isis-and-the-balkans/#:~:text=The%20Balkans%20play%20an%20important%20role%20for%20ISIS%2C,propaganda%2C%20which%20threatens%20significant%20danger%20for%20the%20region., (Date of Accession: 22.11.2022).
[2] “Bosna Promises United Stance at Anti-ISIS Summit”, Balkan Insight, https://balkaninsight.com/2015/09/07/bosnia-prepares-extraordinary-joint-position-for-anti-isis-summit-09-07-2015/, (Date of Accession: 22.11.2022).
[3] Ibid.
[4] “ISIS Female Returnees Worry Balkans Europe”, Global Risk Insights, https://globalriskinsights.com/2018/07/isis-female-returnees-worry-balkans-europe/, (Date of Accession: 22.11.2022).
[5] “العائدون من داعش.. قنبلة موقوتة في البلقان، بقلم نهى العبادي”, Europarabact, https://www.europarabct.com/العائدون-من-داعش-قنبلة-موقوتة-في-البلق/, (Date of Accession: 22.11.2022).
[6] “Kandic Faces Life after Conviction in US for Assisting ISIS”, Balkan Insight, https://balkaninsight.com/2022/05/26/kandic-faces-life-after-conviction-in-us-for-assisting-isis/, (Date of Accession: 22.11.2022).
[7] العائدون من داعش.. قنبلة موقوتة في البلقان، بقلم نهى العبادي”, op. cit.
