Korajlić on Croatian President's Statements: Objective Data Needed for Counter-Terrorism Efforts

The storm surrounding statements by Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, who claimed that "thousands of ISIL fighters" are returning to BiH, is not subsiding. The first to react to these statements was the Minister of Security of BiH Dragan Mektić, who denied Grabar-Kitarović's claims, calling them absurd and malicious, writes the BiH news agency Patria.

Such statements from high-ranking officials can only stir up distrust among citizens, believes Nedžad Korajlić, Dean of the Faculty of Criminal Justice, Criminology and Security Studies in Sarajevo.

- We can only successfully fight against any form of crime, in this case terrorism, if we are connected and exchange objective data – Korajlić told TV1.

Otherwise, according to data presented by Minister Mektić, 115 BiH citizens are present on the Syrian-Iraqi battlefield. Of the 46 who have returned to BiH, 20 have been sentenced to prison, and criminal proceedings are underway against 26.

Armin Kržalić, Director of the Center for Security Studies, stated that BiH was among the first in the region to classify departure to foreign battlefields as a criminal offense.

- Although the largest number of men from BiH left in 2014, that number is not even close to the number mentioned by the Croatian President – Kržalić told TV1.

He also states that since that period, we have seen a trend of stopping BiH citizens from going to foreign battlefields.

- BiH can boast of being the country in the region that has stopped this trend, so in the last 8 months, we have not had a single case of departure – Kržalić concludes.