Kosovo's approach to the redeployment and reintegration of returnees from Syria and Iraq

The Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (QKSS) today presents the research report “summary of Kosovo's approach to the redeployment and reintegration of citizens returned from war zones in Syria and Iraq”.

This research has been conducted under the “Aning of the reintegration process for foreign fighters returned to the community” supported by the International Republican Institute (IRI).

This report analyses the reintegration process for citizens returning from the Syria and Iraq conflict and sums up the challenges identified in the process.

The report offers a mirror of the current situation of the process of reintegration of foreign fighters and community readiness to accept, as well as analyse the role of institutional activists and the approach of civil society in the process.

Furthermore, through this report, the analysis of regional and international practices in the process of reintegration foreign fighters and identifying adequate models which could potentially be applied to Kosovo.

According to the QKSS, this research project is also one of the first activities in the National Strategy Action Plan for Prevention and Combating violent extremism and radicalism leading to terrorism.

The QKSS says the project has provided support to this strategy and its action plan for the period of 2019. Project Activities have been implemented in the municipality of Gjilan, Kacanik, Prizren, Pristina and Mitrovica, which have also been the focus of the research report.

Local actors from municipalities covered through the project, representatives of nongovernmental organisations, representatives of religious communities, representatives of law enforcement institutions, media representatives, representatives of institutions, representatives of diplomatic and military missions in Kosovo, etc.

In addition to presenting the report, participants will have the opportunity to hold public discussion on the process of reintegration returnees from the Syria conflict and community readiness to admit them to respective communities.