IMAN Chairman welcomes arrest of Islamic radicals in Kosovo
Lunes, 11 Agosto 2014
Kosovo police arrest 40 alleged Islamic radicals
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kosovo police on Monday arrested at least 40 people in a major operation targeting Islamic radicals suspected of fighting alongside extremists in Iraq and Syria.
The police operation is the largest ever against suspected Islamic radicals in Kosovo. Authorities have been on alert as a growing number of ethnic Albanians have joined militants in Syria and Iraq and appeared on social media in attempts to lure more followers.
The thorny issue of religion has often brought conservative Muslims at loggerheads with secular Kosovars as the two groups struggle to set up a functioning country in the aftermath of the 1998-99 separatist war against Serbia.
Police said the arrests Monday were the result of two years of surveillance and investigations and that some of the arrested are suspected of being involved in terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State group, or Jabhat Al-Nusra.
They estimated at least 200 Kosovars have joined the ranks of Islamic militants as volunteers and at least 16 have been killed in battles with Syrian and Iraqi authorities.
"Kosovo will not be a safe haven for extremism," President Atifete Jahjaga said.
Most of the suspects come from central Kosovo's Ferizaj municipality, which is also home to the U.S. military installation Camp Bondsteel, where some 700 American peacekeepers are stationed.
Maj. Mike Wallace, a spokesman for the U.S. peacekeepers, declined to give details about security arrangements in the U.S.-led command, but said troops remain alert.
In an attempt to distance itself from extremists, the country's largest Muslim group, Kosovo's Islamic Community, praised the arrests and urged young faithful to steer clear of "groups calling themselves upon a so-called jihad."
Responding to the news, IMAN Chairman, Ribal Al-Assad said the following:
"I welcome the action taken by the Kosovan Police and congratulate them on this successful exercise.
As evidenced by this operation, these individuals were heavily armed and had the inclination to kill and murder thousands of innocent people.
As I have repeatedly stated, Islamic extremism is the most dangerous and deadly threat faced by the free world today; it is paramount that governments and the police remain vigilant against extremist groups and take action where possible.
I also congratulate the Kosovan government on their unwavering support in the fight against Islamic extremism."
