In 2017 also, Kosovo proceeded with the militant recruitment of terrorist for terrorist organisations operating in Syria and Iraq. According to a State Department report last year, 403 people from Kosovo joined the Islamic State and the Al Nusra organisations. Of these, 74 were killed, 133 returned to Kosovo, while 196 still remain in the war zones in Syria and Iraq.

The biggest problem identified until now, linked to the recruiting of militants for the Islamic state by Kosovo, is the religious propaganda and the authorities’ inability to dismantle the recruited trafficking networks.

For Serbia, the report says it has made progress in countering terrorism and preventing its citizens from being recruited in order to go to the Middle East and join terrorist groups.

It is also reported that the government of Serbia, with the adoption of a national strategy for the period of 2017-2021 with a view to averting terrorist threats, has paid particular attention to electronic security. According to the State Department, the most serious threat from terrorism in Serbia is about trafficking money and weapons for terrorist organisations through its territory.

Last but not least, the report states that the Serbian authorities are in close co-operation with the U.S. security services that provide them training so as to create conditions for effective response to terrorist threats.

Source: balkaneu