Counter-Terrorism: Bosnians Turn on Terrorists

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March 22, 2007: Bosnian police recently discovered, and shut down, a terrorist training camp run by local Wahabi Moslems. The Wahabi sect of Islam developed in Arabia two centuries ago, and is supported by the monarchy in Saudi Arabia. Wahabi money, and volunteers, went to Bosnia in the 1990s, to assist the Bosnians in the Yugoslav civil war. Five of the 19 suicide terrorists in the September 11, 2001 attacks, had served as Whahbi sponsored fighters in Bosnia. While the Saudis spent a lot of money building mosques and supporting Wahabi missionaries, only about three percent of the Bosnian population adopted this more conservative form of Islam. In the last year, the Bosnian media has become increasingly hostile to the intolerant and "holier-than-thou" attitudes of the Bosnian Wahabis, and has criticized the Wahabis for being backward and against the interests of Bosnia.

Because of the Wahabi military support in the 1990s, the Bosnian government has been reluctant to crack down on Wahabi religious and military training efforts. But the Bosnians will not tolerate Wahabis planning and training of terror attacks elsewhere in Europe. The Wahabis, being on a mission from God, don't recognize any such favors from the Bosnian government, and refuse to crack down on the terrorists in their midst. Relations between the Wahabis and the government have become more tense, and American and European counter-terrorism organizations have pressured the Bosnians to keep a closer eye on their Wahabis.

Most Bosnians are not only opposed to Wahabi terrorism, and terrorist training, but willing to do something about it. The camp recently raided had contained men who had earlier fought with locals over the camp activities. This violence has not involved guns, but had attracted the attention of the police. Police determined that about 30 trainees had been using the terror camp. Three men were arrested when the camp was raided, and another escaped into the nearby forests. Documents in the camp indicated that attacks in other European countries were being planned. Now the Bosnian country will be under even more pressure to identify the Wahabis who are engaged in terrorist activity, and arrest them, rather than just deport them. Foreign counter-terrorism officials have been particularly unhappy with this expulsion policy, as some of these Bosnian terror suspects later show up, often dead, in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Many others are apparently still alive, and still keen on bringing more terrorist violence to Europe.