SERBIA-MONTENEGRO SPY CHIEF WARNS OF SURGE OF ISLAMIC EXTREMISM IN REGION
Tanjug - February 1, 2004
Belgrade, 1 February: Col Momir Stojanovic, director of the Military Security
Agency (VBA), speaking in a Tanjug interview, has warned that according to
information gained by the domestic services and contacts with the security
agencies of other countries a significant penetration of radical Islam and
terrorism can be expected in the Western Balkans, including the territory of
Serbia-Montenegro, in the upcoming period.
"Operational information available to the VBA indicate that the Islamic
extremist organizations Wahhabi and Red Rose (Serbo-Croat: "Crvena Ruza") are
active in the region of Raska and the Lim Basin and northern Montenegro, Tarikat
is operating in Macedonia, and cells of Al-Qa'idah are in Kosovo-Metohija and
northern Albania," said Stojanovic. "We have a growing body of information
indicating that links are being established and strengthened between, on the one
hand, exponents of international terrorism and, on the other, exponents of
extremist and terrorist activities in Kosovo-Metohija, Raska and the Lim Basin,
and Montenegro," he explained.
Stojanovic pointed out that the activities of the extremists and terrorist
organizations were part of the fulfilment of Islamic extremism's strategic goal
of creating a single Islamic state in the Balkans and the completion of the
so-called "Green Transversal". Under the extremists' plans this would include
the region of Raska and the Lim Basin (the "state" of Sandzak), part of
Montenegro and Kosovo-Metohija, and with Bosnia-Hercegovina it would link up
with the Islamic countries of the Middle East through Albania, Bulgaria and
Turkey.
The Wahhabi Islamic religious sect is active in the region of Raska and the Lim
Basin and northern Montenegro, in the municipalities of Rozaje, Plav and Gusinje.
At present it has about 200 members there, but that number is growing. It
endeavours to impose extreme Islam as a way of life through a radical
interpretation of the Koran. Stojanovic pointed out that members of the Wahhabi
sect were currently working to win over young people to accept ideas, customs,
behaviour and mode of dress in the spirit of radical Islam. At the same time,
they recruit young people whom they send to centres for religious, as well as
military, training in some neighbouring countries and countries of the Middle
East.
"We have information that in the course of March 2003 alone about 20 Mujahidin,
members of the Wahhabi sect, passed into the region of Raska and the Lim Basin
from Bosnia-Hercegovina because of the heightened activities of the US special
forces and Sfor (Stabilization Force)," Stojanovic said. He explained that the
activities of the Muslim extremists were supported ideologically,
organizationally, materially and financially by certain international terrorist
organizations, extreme political circles in Saudi Arabia and other Islamic
countries, and covertly by leaders of some political parties here. Tacit support
was also provided by extremists close to the Islamic religious community in
Serbia.
Stojanovic said that the financial support chiefly related to the construction
of a large number of religious premises, some of which were built in areas
inhabited by Serbs, and that this was designed to force them to move out and
create an ethnically pure environment. A good example of this was the region of
Sjenica. "They also try to win over local Muslim leaders, and thanks to their
generous financial support they achieve considerable success in this regard,"
said Stojanovic, adding that financial support was also provided by
"businessmen" from neighbouring countries through what purported to be business
cooperation and trade.
The final goal of the Muslim extremists in the region is to create an Islamic
state of Sandzak, which they plan to achieve in two phases, Stojanovic said. He
went on to explain that the first phase was linked with demands for establishing
Sandzak as a region with a high degree of autonomy, with these demands being
radicalized in the second phase. This meant demands for a closer linkage with
Bosnia-Hercegovina and leading Islamic countries. "It is in this context that
one should view the demands of some of the Bosniaks from this region who, by
forming a Bosniak National Council of Sandzak, intend to seek its
regionalization through changes to the Serbian constitution," he warned.
A particular danger in the creation of a so-called Muslim state of Sandzak is
posed by individuals and groups of extremists who advocate violence as a means
of accomplishing that goal, relying in this on the support of Islamic terrorist
organizations and intelligence services of some Islamic countries. "Their
activities depend crucially on outside support," said Stojanovic, who went on to
warn that some Muslim political parties tried to internationalize an alleged
threat to human rights, thus promoting the complete unification of the Muslim
population of the region.
The VBA director said that activities by the Red Rose Muslim organization had
been recorded in the region of Raska and the Lim Basin, about which very little
was known and whose activities the VBA was investigating operationally. It was
known that the group was linked with extremists in Iran, and was organized along
the lines of an organization operating in Bosnia-Hercegovina.
"We also have information that Al-Qa'idah has its strongholds in Kosovo-Metohija
and northern Albania, in the villages of Bajram Curi, Kruma and Tropoja, and
that they operate in Western Macedonia in Tetovo, Kicevo and Gostivar," said
Stojanovic.
Also operating on the territory of Macedonia is the Tarikat Islamic sect, which
is organized like the Wahhabis, and has the same goals. It is most active in
Skopje and concentrates on becoming a mass organization among the poorer strata
of society.
According to Stojanovic, the VBA regularly, and to mutual benefit, exchanges
information on the activities of radical Islamists and terrorist organizations
with the intelligence and security agencies of some other countries in the
region, as well as with the agencies of states whose members contribute to the
international forces in Bosnia-Hercegovina (Sfor) and Kosovo-Metohija (Kfor), or
which have representatives in the government, nongovernment and international
organizations.
Source: Tanjug news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1057 gmt 1 Feb 04
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