A new study shows the flow of Bosnian extremists to Syria and Iraq has almost stopped, although nearly 200 are still there, including 60 minors, AFP reported Thursday (June 23rd).
"The departures of Bosnian citizens to Syria and Iraq continued throughout 2015 but at a slower pace. The trend almost completely stopped by early 2016," said the study published by the Sarajevo-based think tank Atlantic Initiative.
The report also noted that returns from Syria and Iraq to Bosnia had "ceased completely in 2015", except for a few extradition cases from Turkish prisons.
The reduced flow both ways was likely a result of "intensified efforts aimed at the criminal prosecution of aspiring fighters and returnees from Syria and Iraq", said the report.
The reduction also could be linked to changes in territories controlled by the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) which are now more difficult to enter and leave, it said.
One in three of the Bosnians who are currently in Iraq or Syria are minors, said the study, which also warned of young boys aged 13 or 14 engaging in combat.
Despite "sensationalist" media reports of extremist "training camps" in Bosnia, "extensive police investigations have thus far found no evidence to corroborate these reports", the study said.
