About 100 Kosovars continue to remain in Syria, state silents when asked to return

Kosovo police said that according to the latest data they possess, in the conflict area still continue to have a total of 96 Kosovars, of whom 43 men, nine women and 44 children, (including 32 children born in the conflict area of at least one Kosovo parent). Meanwhile, the Atlantic Initiative from Sarajevo says 97 people from Kosovo -- already 400 total from the Western Balkans -- continue to be in conflict areas.

In April 2019, Kosovo institutions, assisted by American authorities, repatriated a group of 110 Kosovars, including four foreign fighters, 32 women and 74 children.

But for the remaining group in Syria, Kosovo institutions have yet to provide any information if it is working for their repatriation.

Speaking at the Global Coalition's meeting against the militant group, the Islamic State, Kosovo Foreign Affairs and Diaspore Minister Donika Grovalla, said Kosovo has been committed to reintegration of returnees from Syria.

We're taking special care of their wives and children. We must do everything we can to turn them into a normal life, to hope, even a happy future for them”, Minister Gervala said.

Gervala said the process of reintegration of returnees has been successful and that programmes have been created for debugisation.

We not only managed to get children back to schools, but also provide psychological support to them and their mothers. Furthermore, we have developed a program for doordialization, which includes even the persons under arrest of”, she said.

At this meeting of the Global Coalition against IS, which was held in Italy's Rome, Minister Gervala did not speak of 96 Kosovars who continue to be in Syria.

Since Kosovars began joining the war in Syria and Iraq in 2013, Kosovo police said they have arrested about 20 people for criminal acts linked to terrorisation.

Since the start of the Syria war in March 2011, about 400 Kosovars traveled to Syria and Iraq.

Pandemia suspended repatriation

In January of this year, then former Interior Minister Agim Veliu's cabinet, Agim Veliu, had confirmed that the process of repatriating other remaining citizens in Syria has stalled due to COVID-19.

Free Europe Radio has asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kosovo again if it is working on returning Kosovo's remaining citizens to Syria and Iraq, but this institution has not returned to publishing this article.

Kosovo Institute for International Studies Director Bedri Elez maintains contact with many families who have relatives in Syria.

Elez says that in recent months it has been the worst situation in camps and prisons where the family members of IS members in Syria and Iraq are being held.

Elez says Kurdish forces controlling camps with over 600,000 refugees have repeatedly called for different states to repatriate their citizens.

The Kurdish <x0). They've also repeatedly called on countries to come and take the women and children from there. They help with infrastructure. They are consistently willing to help the process of returning Kosovo citizens”, Elez says.

In July 2019, Radio Free Europe interviewed a woman who had returned to Kosovo through the secret operation of Kosovo institutions and American authorities.

The woman, who had sought to remain anonymous, had confessed to her plight in the camps as well as to her return operation in Kosovo where she did not believe that she would again find a good life.

I think we're gonna have a hard time here because of the problems people around us make. For example, I'm not free to go out in my street dress, you know? And there, you can go out any way you want on the street, nobody looks at you”, she declared anonymity under conditions.

Many of the repatriated women, during the court trials, have pleaded guilty and were finally found guilty of participation in the Syrian war.

Successful Reintegration as Guarantee for Kosovars Return
Most of the people who returned from Syria went through long reintegration processes. Most were condemned for participating in the Syrian war.

Balaj, researchers at the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (QKSS), says the process of reintegration returnees from Syria has shown positive results and proves that other Kosovars who continue to be in Syria can be repatriated.

I think the capacities for reintegration are, but now the role that different institutions have in this process needs to be clarified more because this process is a little difficult, because you can't apply the same approach to everyone returning. It means, they have different problems and challenges from each other”, Balaj says.

Balaj says the return of citizens from Syria is a duty of Kosovo institutions, but that in advance it must once again become an assessment of everyone.

Kosovo's <x0 think-tanks should make an individual assessment of the needs and challenges that returnees have, but also an assessment of the risks they may bear”, Balaj says.

According to Balaj, on the basis of these information, reintegration and rehabilitation programmes of returnees from Syria should be designed.

Kosovo remains endangered by violent extremism

In the European Commission's report on Kosovo, which was released in October 2020, Kosovo reportedly has noted progress in its attempt to reintegration foreign fighters and their Syrian-turned families, but still remains endangered by violent extremism.

Against continued efforts, challenges in preventing and fighting violent extremism and radicalisation remain. Terrorist groups continue to find ideological support within Kosovo, and internal radicals continue to pose risks, including posting terrorist content in social media and elsewhere on the internet, the European Commission's report said.

Since the outbreak of conflict in Syria and Iraq, about 400 Kosovars traveled to Syria, among them men, women, and children.

From that number, 242 persons returned to Kosovo. Of the 124 returnees are men, 38 women and 80 children. About 100 died there.

In April 2019, Kosovo became one of the first countries in the world to restore so many citizens involved in the Syrian war.