State Department: BiH remained a cooperative partner in the fight against terrorism

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) remained a cooperative partner in the fight against terrorism and continued to increase its counter-terrorism capacity in 2018, according to the annual State Department report on the state of terrorism in BiH, as well as around the world. It is emphasized that there were no terrorist acts or incidents in 2018.

It is emphasized that a few citizens of BiH attempted to travel to foreign battlefields in 2018, although about ten of them remained in Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine. BiH also closed certain legal loopholes through amendments to the provisions on terrorism in the Criminal Code, although the problem of lenient sentencing for this type of criminal offense remains.

The report states that extremist ideology and regional nationalist groups remained potential sources of terrorism in BiH.

Although little progress has been made in de-radicalization, the Ministry of Security and the Interreligious Council have made significant efforts to prevent and combat violent extremism.

It is emphasized that BiH is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, and that there were no terrorist incidents on the territory of BiH in 2018.

Part of the report also refers to the inefficiency of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), which is the leading police agency for carrying out counter-terrorism operations. It is stated that they have a shortage of staff and an increase in the number of required officers has been postponed due to the non-formation of government.

It is stated that SIPA continues to undergo training funded by the U.S. Department of State to ensure that key units can effectively investigate terrorism-related crimes.