US Embassy Congratulates SIPA and OSA on "Damascus" Operation

The US Embassy congratulates the Agency for Investigations and Protection (SIPA) on yesterday's operation which resulted in the arrest of 11 individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activities. This operation is the result of a serious investigation and close cooperation between SIPA and the Intelligence-Security Agency of BiH (OSA).

- We call on the Prosecutor's Office of BiH to rigorously prosecute such cases and urge other authorities in BiH to continue their efforts in combating terrorism and foreign fighters, in accordance with relevant laws and international obligations, including UN Security Council Resolution 2178.

As recently stated by US Attorney General Eric Holder, the US Department of Justice, with the support of the US Department of State, is sending federal prosecutors and senior law enforcement advisors to various countries around the world, including BiH, in response to requests from these countries for assistance in developing their capacity to address transnational criminal offenses and terrorism, in accordance with international and UN standards.

In the Balkans, the US Department of Justice will appoint a resident counter-terrorism legal advisor at our embassy in Tirana, Albania, and his responsibility in the region will be to assist partner countries in strengthening legislation related to foreign fighters, as well as developing the capacity of Balkan investigators and prosecutors regarding this legislation.

The goal of all these efforts is to work in partnership with countries like BiH to develop the capacity to respond to the phenomenon of foreign fighters within the framework of the law - so that together we can use criminal justice processes to stop terrorist fighters from going to conflict zones, stop the wave of violence, and aggressively combat violent extremism.

As President Obama stated before the United Nations on September 24, those dedicated to this urgent task will find a strong and serious partner in the United States - the statement from the US Embassy reads.