Serbian media outlet "B92.net" has published an article, through which they attempt to raise unfounded claims that violent extremism with religious motives continues to be a serious problem in Kosovo.
In the title of the article published on Thursday (December 9), the author raises the dilemma that there continue to be activities in Kosovo that serve to prepare fighters for the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).
Article title translated into Albanian:
Are members of the Islamic State being trained in so-called Kosovo?
However, this claim raised in the title fails to be substantiated in the content. The article by "B92.net" is based on a television chronicle from another Serbian television station "Prva", taken from one of their news editions.
The content is constructed from several assumptions and a statement by security expert in Kosovo, Nuredin Ibishi.
The author at the beginning of the article refers to American sources, in a generalized manner, about the presence of a military unit composed of Albanians fighting in Syria.
Excerpt from the B92.net article translated into Albanian:
According to American sources, an Islamic State unit composed exclusively of Albanians operates in Syria.
While in the world, sentences for fighters on foreign battlefields are drastic, in Kosovo and Metohija they are almost symbolic, like the number of convicted ISIS fighters.
Are members of the Islamic State being trained in Kosovo?
From 2012 to 2019, about 253 men went to Syria, some of them left with their families, while in 2019 110 people returned and the return of others is expected. "Another 96 people are expected to return, 43 of them men. We have taken measures," said security expert Nuredin Ibishi Ljeka.
In recent years, there have been arrests in Kosovo precisely due to participation in terrorist organizations.
The public fears that some ISIS members walk freely among them every day. “There is a risk of the spread of violent extremism and terrorism,” added Nuredin Ibishi, Leka.
Link to the article published on B92.net:
As can be seen, this article does not substantiate the claim made in the title and in some paraphrases within the content. Therefore, there is no answer to the question raised whether training of Islamic State soldiers is being organized in Kosovo.
Such articles by Serbian media with unfounded claims that there is a danger in Kosovo from members of radical religious groups have been made before. Hibrid.info has managed to deconstruct some of them. (See here)
Another argument that contradicts these claims are the reports of credible local and international institutes, whose findings indicate a significant decrease in the presence of individuals involved in these radical groups, much less the existence of any activity for their preparation in Kosovo.
According to a report by the Kosovo Center for Security Studies (KCSS) published in October 2018, it is stated that returnees from Middle Eastern wars pose a very low risk, which contradicts the claim of these articles.
Excerpt from the conclusion of the report “Beyond the Triggers: The New Dangers of Violent Extremism in Kosovo”, prepared by the KCSS: (See here)
“So far, the majority of Kosovo’s foreign fighters who returned after fighting with IS are being tried or have been convicted for their involvement in terrorist activities. Despite the large number of foreign fighters returning to Kosovo, their involvement in terrorist activity is relatively low. Of the 135 foreign fighters who returned to Kosovo after fighting with IS in Syria and Iraq, 5 of them were involved in planning terrorist attacks or other incidents in Kosovo.”
Analyze:
The article by the Serbian media “B92.net” raises a claim in the title, which it does not argue with any facts in the content. So the claim raised in the title “Are members of the Islamic State being trained in Kosovo? does not match the content of the article at all.
Based on hibri.info's methodology, this article is rated as "Disinformation".
Reasoning:
A “Disinformation” rating is given to media reporting that contains a “mix” of inaccurate sources or even half-truthful content. This rating will also address reports that have incorrect attributions or headlines that do not reflect the text in terms of information accuracy.