Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SARAJEVO3249
2006-12-26 10:45:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Sarajevo
Cable title:  

BOSNIA: 2006 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM

Tags:  PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM KPAO KHLS AEMR PREL PGOV 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVJ #3249/01 3601045
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 261045Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5113
INFO RUEILB/NCTC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
UNCLAS SARAJEVO 003249 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

S/CT (SHORE); NCTC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM KPAO KHLS AEMR PREL PGOV
BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA: 2006 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM

REF: A. A. STATE 175925

B. SARAJEVO 3192

C. SARAJEVO 3151

D. SARAJEVO 3115

E. SARAJEVO 2744

F. SARAJEVO 2575

G. SARAJEVO 2452

H. SARAJEVO 2072

I. SARAJEVO 2042

J. SARAJEVO 1915

K. SARAJEVO 1748

L. SARAJEVO 1695

M. SARAJEVO 1664

N. SARAJEVO 1340

O. SARAJEVO 890

P. SARAJEVO 732

Q. SARAJEVO 334

R. SARAJEVO 119

UNCLAS SARAJEVO 003249

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

S/CT (SHORE); NCTC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM KPAO KHLS AEMR PREL PGOV
BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA: 2006 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM

REF: A. A. STATE 175925

B. SARAJEVO 3192

C. SARAJEVO 3151

D. SARAJEVO 3115

E. SARAJEVO 2744

F. SARAJEVO 2575

G. SARAJEVO 2452

H. SARAJEVO 2072

I. SARAJEVO 2042

J. SARAJEVO 1915

K. SARAJEVO 1748

L. SARAJEVO 1695

M. SARAJEVO 1664

N. SARAJEVO 1340

O. SARAJEVO 890

P. SARAJEVO 732

Q. SARAJEVO 334

R. SARAJEVO 119


1. This cable contains Embassy Sarajevo's submission to the
2006 Country Reports on Terrorism, as requested in Ref. A


2. Bosnia and Herzegovina's law enforcement organizations
continued their good counterterrorism cooperation with the
United States, within the limits of current institutional
capacities. However, Bosnia remained a weak state, with
multiple semi-autonomous centers of power, vulnerable to
exploitation as a terrorist safe haven or as a staging ground
for potential terrorist operations in Europe. Nevertheless,
there were notable signs of increased local operational
capability to combat terrorism and terrorism finance.


3. Media reporting and editorial comment concerning U.S.
counterterrorism policies became increasingly negative during
the year, particularly regarding Guantanamo Bay detainees,
including the so-called "Algerian Six." Criticism of Bosnian
government counterterrorism initiatives and U.S.
counterterrorism policies from Bosnian politicians and local
activists increased, particularly during the 2006 national
election campaign. (Ref. F, H, K, L, O, and R.)


4. Bosnian authorities continued to strengthen existing
counterterrorism mechanisms and develop new ones. On July
24, the Council of Ministers adopted a general framework for
creating a national counterterrorism strategy, and approved
formation of an interagency working group, led by the
Ministry of Security, to develop it. The Inter-Ministerial

Counterterrorism Task Force (IMCTF),formed in December 2004,
is currently responsible for coordinating all State-level
institutions with counterterrorism responsibilities. These
are: the State Border Police (SBP),the State Investigative
and Protection Agency (SIPA),the Ministry of Security (MoS),
the State Court and State Prosecutor's Office, the Foreigners
Affairs Service (FAS),and the Bosnian State Intelligence and
Security Agency (OSA).


5. The IMCTF directed two successful terrorism-related
deportations during the year. On February 8, SIPA, SBP, FAS
and the State Prosecutor worked together to remove convicted
terrorist Said Atmani from the country. Atmani, a Moroccan
national who fought in Bosnia during the war, served three
years in jail for a bombing in France in the mid-1990s,
before returning to Bosnia in 2005 (Ref. Q). On August 30,
these agencies deported Tunisian national Bedrudin Ferchicij
(a.k.a. Abu Malik),a Mujahedin fighter who had remained
illegally in Bosnia after the war (Ref. I). Despite these
successes, the IMCTF's operational effectiveness was
generally hampered by insufficient coordination, including
infrequent communications and lack of clear divisions of
labor among the agencies.


6. In January 2006, the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina
formed the Citizenship Review Commission (CRC). The CRC
reviews the status of foreign Mujahedin fighters and others
who obtained Bosnian citizenship during and after the 1992-95
war, and withdraws citizenship from those who had obtained it
improperly. In October the Council of Ministers adopted the
Commission's interim progress report. According to the
report, the CRC has completed preliminary reviews of
approximately 600 cases (about half the total number
pending),adjudicated 150 decisions, and stripped about 50
individuals of their citizenship. Among those stripped were
three men identified by the UNSC 1267 Committee as belonging
to or associated with the Taliban and al-Qaida (Ref. H and
K.).


7. The FAS has responsibility for determining the appropriate
legal status of people stripped of citizenship and initiating
deportations when mandated under the Law on Movement and Stay
of Aliens and Asylum. Although created in August 2005,
vacant leadership positions stalled FAS institutional
development until summer 2006. The process of drafting a
revised Law on Movement and Stay of Aliens that would define
and strengthen the FAS, which also began in 2005, remained
unfinished at the end of 2006.


8. The Bosnian State Court heard opening arguments in the
first state-level terrorism trial in July. The trial remains
underway with three individuals, arrested in October 2005,
charged with terrorism, and two others with illegal
possession of explosives. During the arrests, authorities
confiscated weapons, explosives, a crudely fashioned suicide
belt and a video depicting masked men supposedly preparing to
attack unspecified European targets. Lead defendants Mirsad
Bektasevic and Abdulkadir Cesur were linked to terrorist
networks elsewhere in Europe, and Cesur was also a named
defendant in a terrorism trial concurrently underway in
Denmark. The Bosnian Court expects to render a decision in
early 2007. (Ref. G and P.)


9. The government remained vigilant against the reopening of
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) previously banned for
terrorism finance activity. Bosnian officials continued
working closely with the United States to obtain information
to build cases for new NGO designations (Ref. J and N).
Authorities also continued investigating organizations,
businesses, and individuals for links to terrorist financing
(Ref. B). During the reporting period, there was no evidence
of systematic linkages between organized crime groups and
terrorist organizations (Ref. E and M). There were no
terrorist-financing related prosecutions under the Law on
Prevention of Money Laundering during the year.


10. The Bosnian organization Aktivna Islamska Omladina
(Active Islamic Youth, or AIO) continued to spread extremist
and anti-American rhetoric through its weekly print and
on-line publication, SAFF Magazine. AIO was founded in
Zenica in 1995 by individuals with ties to the so-called "El
Mujahid brigade," a wartime unit comprised mainly of foreign
jihadists. There were indications that AIO continued to
conduct youth outreach in Bosnia during the year, and to
maintain a presence in Western Europe. SAFF Magazine was
also distributed through out the Balkans and in some Western
European countries.


11. Law enforcement at all levels cooperated with Mission
security personnel on terrorism-related and other threats
directed against U.S. interests in Bosnia. Police handled
all Embassy requests to identify and/or investigate
suspicious individuals or incidents as priority matters.


12. Following a November surveillance incident, State and
Federation level agencies have been investigating a potential
threat to the Mission. Police increased the Mission's
security profile and at year's end were aggressively pursuing
all leads to conclusion.


13. On November 29, NATO invited Bosnia to participate in the
Partnership for Peace (PfP). Bosnia indicated it wants to
use the PfP process in part to enhance the counterterrorism
capabilities of its armed forces (Ref. D). In December, the
Ministry of Defense pledged to donate 50,000 AK-47 rifles and
necessary ammunition to security forces in Afghanistan in
support of Operation Enduring Freedom (Ref. C). Bosnia and
Herzegovina continues to deploy a 36-member Explosive
Ordinance Disposal (EOD) unit in Iraq in support of Operation
Iraqi Freedom. This unit began its fourth rotation in Iraq
in November.


14. Embassy Point of Contact: Questions or comments
concerning this report should be directed to PolOff Lisa
Gregory, tel: 387 33 445 700 x2211, fax: 387 33 639 722,
email: GregoryLB@state.gov.
CEFKIN