Keeping Kosovo From Becoming a New Breeding Ground for Terrorism
By Victor Comras Kosovo’s Albanian community leaders will likely unilaterally declare Kosovo’s secession and independence from Serbia in the next few weeks. This follows the failure of UN sponsored negotiations on Kosovo’s final status. This will not be a smooth separation and is likely to be accompanied by inter-ethnic violence and growing tension along Kosovo’s borders with all its neighbors. The United States and Europe are poised to quickly recognize Kosovo, but Russia and other Slavic countries bordering Kosovo are not. The repercussions are likely to be felt throughout the Balkan region, and especially with regard to Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke’s excellent November 25th Opinion <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/23/AR2007112301237.html> Piece in the Washington Post should serve as a wakeup call to this very dangerous situation. Ambassador Holbrooke wrote: “Serb politicians, egged on by Moscow and Belgrade, are threatening that if Kosovo declares its independence from Serbia, then the Serb portion of Bosnia will declare its independence. Such unilateral secession, strictly forbidden under Dayton, would endanger the more than 150,000 Muslims who have returned there…. Charles English, the American ambassador in Sarajevo, and Raffi Gregorian, the deputy high representative in Bosnia, have warned of the danger. "Bosnia's very survival could be determined in the next few months if not the next few weeks," Gregorian told Congress this month. Virtually no one paid any attention.” Serbia is also poised to support Kosovo’s minority Slavic population and to try and precipitate a de facto partition. Growing violence in Kosovo could also provoke huge refugee flows into both Macedonia and Montenegro, and may well give rise to growing tension between Albanian and Slavic communities in both countries. Knee-jerk reactions by the governments of these countries could further exacerbate inter-ethnic violence. And Albanians living in Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia’s Presevo valley could well push for their own inclusion in a greater Kosovo. And, if these were not problems enough, there is a growing risk that terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda will seize on this situation to step up indoctrination, recruitment, and training of new adherents. US intelligence agencies have indicated that al-Qaeda adherents were quite active in the Balkans throughout the Bosnia War, and that they assisted in the training of some KLA units. Yossef Bodansky claimed in his book, Bin <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bin_Laden:_The_Man_Who_Declared_War_on_America> Laden: The Man Who Declared War on America, that Muhammad al-Zawahiri, the engineer brother of Ayman al-Zawahiri, played a key role in this regard. . The Bosnia war mujahadeen could well serve as a model for further recruitment action, especially if the political and economic situation in Kosovo rapidly deteriorates. Several radical Islamic groups have already taken strong root in Kosovo with the support of at least 10 major Islamic non governmental organizations working the streets. The largest of these, the Wahabbi sponsored Saudi Joint Relief Committee (SJRC), has been a major proponent of introducing fundamentalist Islamic instruction in Kosovo schools. This pressure has been resisted so far by the governing UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), but it is far from clear that this policy will hold when they leave. The International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), the Muslim World League, the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), Al Rasheed Trust, Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, and other Wahhabi sponsored charitable organizations have also been very active Kosovo, UNMIK closed down the Al-Haramain and Al Rasheed operations after they were designated by the Al Qaeda and Taliban sanctions Committee. UNMIK also raided a house rented by the SJRC in Pristina in April 2000, stating the organization was acting as a cover for several Usama bin Laden operatives. Iran Mullahs and the Muslim Brotherhood are also reportedly active in supporting Mosques and learning and social centers throughout Kosovo. The State Department’s 2005 and <http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/> 2006 Country Terrorism Reports acknowledged that several terrorist organizations continued to be active in Kosovo. While applauding UNMIK’s counter-terrorism efforts the reports noted that Kosovo’s porous borders and inadequate border guard service made Kosovo particularly vulnerable to the entry of terrorists and trafficking in arms. As UNMIK winds down it is far from clear that Kosovo fledging police and counter-terrorism units will be able to deal with these challenges. The Bush Administration, which has championed quick recognition for an independent Kosovo, believes that European recognition and support for Kosovo represents the best assurance against al Qaeda-like terrorism taking hold there. They are counting on increased EU support for Kosovo’s counterterrorism efforts. They are also hoping that Kosovo’s long laic traditions, and the substantial number of non Muslim Albanians throughout the province will moderate the growing influence of the radical fundamentalist groups. Let’s hope that this is more than wishful thinking. 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