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'''Mujahideen''' came in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]] during the 1992-1995 [[Bosnian war]] after the [[massacre]]s committed by the [[Serb]] forces on [[Bosnian Muslim]] ([[Bosniaks|Bosniak]]) [[civilian]]s. They intended to vage a ''holy war'' against the ''perpetrators''. The number of volunteers is estimated by some newspaper reports to have been about 4,000,<ref>[http://www.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-0110/msg00060.html Bosnia Seen as Hospitable Base and Sanctuary for Terrorists]</ref> but some recent research discards such claims estimating 400 foreign volunteers.<ref>[http://www.slobodnaevropa.org/al_kaida/index.html Radio Free Europe (2007)- Vlado Azinović: Al-Kai'da u Bosni i Hercegovini - mit ili stvarna opasnost?]</ref> They came from countries such as [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Pakistan]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Egypt]] and [[Algeria]]. It is alleged that mujahideen participated in some incidents considered to be [[war crimes]] according to the international law. However no indictment was issued by the [[ICTY]] against them, but a few Bosnian Army officers were indicted on the basis of superior criminal responsibility. Amir Kubura was found not guilty on all counts related to the incidents involving mujahideen. <ref>[http://www.sense-agency.com/en/stream.php?sta=3&pid=7696&kat=3 SENSE Tribunal article]</ref> On the other hand Enver Hadzihasanović was found guilty for failing to prevent the death of a prisoner of war.<ref>Hadzihasanovic i Kubura - sažetak - [http://www.un.org/icty/bhs/frames/cases.htm]</ref> He appealed against the first-instance judgment and was released provisionally in June 2007 pending the judgement of the Appeals Chamber.<ref>Sense - APPELLATE HEARING IN HADZIHASANOVIC - KUBURA CASE[http://www.sense-agency.com/en/stream.php?sta=3&pid=10619&kat=3]</ref> |
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{{Articleissues| POV = December 2007| refimprove = December 2007}} |
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Bosnian [[Mujahideen]]<ref>Also spelt '''Mujahedin''' in a minority of articles</ref> were predominantly foreign [[Muslim]] volunteers who fought on the side of the Bosnian government during the 1992-1995 [[Bosnian War]].<ref name=ICTY-Antonetti>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the Judgmenet for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, [[15 March]] 2006. See section "VI. The Mujahedin"</ref><ref>Staff. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/848787.stm Bosnian police begin Mujahedin evictions] From the newsroom of the BBC World Service, [[24 July]], 2000,</ref> The number of volunteers is estimated to have been between 3,000 and 7,000<ref>,[http://www.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-0110/msg00060.html LA Times], Bosnia Seen as Hospitable Base and Sanctuary for Terrorists, 8 October 2001</ref><ref>[http://members.tripod.com/Balkania/resources/geostrategy/bodansky_peace/bp_part1.html#b03 Some Call It Peace: Waiting for the War In the Balkans] by Yossef Bodansky, 1996. Part 1, Chapter 3</ref><ref>[http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/06/d6b723a8-5eef-4807-8aba-dcb57d100af8.html Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty], Bosnia-Herzegovina: New Book Investigates Presence Of Al-Qaeda, June 1, 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370031 Terrorism Monitor (Jamestown Foundation)], Al-Qaeda's Recruitment Operations in the Balkans by Ines Alic, Volume 4, Issue 12 (June 15, 2006)</ref> with the majority coming from countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Algeria and Saudi Arabia. In addition, local Bosniaks also joined to fight alongside the foreign Mujahideen. Initially, the Mujahideen units operated independently of the [[Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnian government army]] (ARBiH). However, as the war progressed they became increasingly integrated into the regular Bosnian army and its command structure.<ref>[http://members.tripod.com/Balkania/resources/geostrategy/bodansky_peace/bp_part1.html#b03 Some Call It Peace: Waiting for the War In the Balkans] by Yossef Bodansky, 1996. Part 1, Chapter 3</ref> In addition to the Mujahideen volunteers, there were also several hundred Iranian [[Revolutionary Guards]] supporting the Bosnian government during the war. <ref>[http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/early/dayton_imp/train_equip.html United States Institute of Peace], Dayton Implementation: The Train and Equip Program, September 1997 | Special Report No. 25</ref><ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E1DF1639F933A25751C1A963958260 NY Times], What's Iran Doing In Bosnia, Anyway?, by Elaine Sciolino, 10 December 1995</ref><ref>[http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1996_cr/s960207a.htm SENATE RESOLUTION 225--RELATIVE TO BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (Senate - February 07, 1996)]</ref> Many of the Bosnian Mujahideen were supported financially from Saudi Arabia, including persons and organizations later connected with [[Al-Qaeda]]<ref>.[http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1164071/posts Free Republic], Al Qaeda Recruited U.S. Servicemen: Testimony Links Plot To Saudi Gov't, 2004</ref><ref>[http://www.fhs.se/upload/Webbadmin/Organisation/CATS/Kohlmann.doc The Afghan-Bosnian Mujahideen Network in Europe], By, Evan F. Kohlmann (page 2), as published on the web site of the Swedish National Defence College</ref> |
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==Background== |
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== Role during the Bosnian War 1992-1995 == |
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During the [[Yugoslav wars]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia-Herzegovina]] received humanitarian aid from Islamic countries as well as from the West, because of intensive and widespread killing, mass rapes, death camps, [[ethnic cleansing]] committed by Serb and, to a lesser extent, Croat forces. The main targets were [[Bosnian Muslim]] civilians. The [[ICJ|world's highest court]] concluded that these crimes, committed during the 1992 -95 war, were [[crimes against humanity]] and [[genocide]] (''[[dolus specialis]]'') regarding Srebrenica region according to the Genocide Convention.<ref>[http://www.sense-agency.com/en/stream.php?sta=3&pid=9273&kat=3 ICJ: Serbia found guilty of failure to prevent and punish genocide]</ref> |
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Foreign Mujahideen arrived in central Bosnia in the second half of [[1992]] with the aim of helping their Bosnian [[Muslim]] ([[Bosniak]]) coreligionists against the [[Bosnian Serb]] and [[Bosnian Croat]] forces. Mostly they came from [[North Africa]], the [[Near East]] and the [[Middle East]]. On 13 August 1993, the Bosnian government officially mobilized the ''Kateebat al-Mujahideen'' ("Battalion of the Holy Warriors") or ''El Mudžahid'', on the personal orders of Bosnian president [[Alija Izetbegović]], to whom the unit was directly responsible.<ref>{{cite book |title=Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe: The Afghan-Bosnian Network |last=Kohlmann |first=Evan |authorlink=Evan Kohlmann |coauthors= |year=2004 |publisher=Berg Publishers |location= |isbn=1859738079 |pages=91, 92}}</ref> Initially, the foreign Mujahideen gave food and other basic necessities to the local Muslim population, deprived many necessities by the Bosnian Serb forces. Once hostilities broke out between the Bosnian government (ABiH) and the Bosnian Croat forces (HVO), the Mujahideen also participated in battles against the HVO alongside ABiH units.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the Judgmenet for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006</ref> |
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Following such [[massacre]]s, [[Arab]] volunteers came across [[Croatia]] into Bosnia to help the Bosnian Army protect the Bosnian Muslim civilian population. The number of the ''El-Mudžahid'' volunteers is still disputed, from around 300 <ref>SENSE Tribunal:ICTY - WE FOUGHT WITH THE BH ARMY, BUT NOT UNDER ITS COMMAND [http://www.sense-agency.com/en/stream.php?sta=3&pid=10225&kat=3]</ref><ref name="""""Islam,"""" Bosna, Sloveni:Evropska izgubljena bitka ">{{cite web |url=http://www.islam.co.ba/razmisljanja/index.php?subaction=ostalo&id=1070747643|title=Predrag Matvejević analysis}}</ref> to 1,500.<ref>SENSE Tribunal:ICTY - WE FOUGHT WITH THE BH ARMY, BUT NOT UNDER ITS COMMAND [http://www.sense-agency.com/en/stream.php?sta=3&pid=10225&kat=3]</ref> These caused particular controversy: foreign fighters, styling themselves ''[[mujahiddin]]'', turned up in Bosnia around 1993 with [[Croatia]]n identity documents, passports and IDs. They quickly attracted heavy criticism, who considered their presence to be evidence of violent Islamic fundamentalism at the heart of Europe. However, the foreign volunteers became unpopular even with many of the Bosniak population, because the [[Army of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnian army]] had thousands of troops and had no need for more soldiers, but for arms. Many Bosnian Army officers and intellectuals were suspicuos regarding foreign volunteers arrival in central part of the country, because they came from [[Split]] and [[Zagreb]] in Croatia, and were passed through the self-proclaimed [[Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia]] without problems unlike Bosnian Army soldiers who were regularly arrested by Croat forces. According to general [[Stjepan Šiber]], the highest ranking ethnic Croat in Bosnian Army, the key role in foreign volunteers arrival was played by [[Franjo Tuđman]] and Croatian [[counter-intelligence]] underground with the aim to justify involvement of Croatia in Bosnian War and mass crimes committed by Croat forces. Although Izetbegović regarded them as symbolically valuable as a sign of the Muslim world's support for Bosnia, they appear to have made little military difference and became a major political liability. |
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The foreign Mujahideen actively recruited young local men, offering them military training, uniforms and weapons. As a result, local Bosniaks joined the foreign Mujahideen and in the process became local "Bosnian Mujahideen".<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the Judgmenet for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006</ref> They imitated the foreigners in both the way they dressed and behaved, to such an extent that it was sometimes, according to the ICTY documentation in subsequent war crimes trials, "difficult to distinguish between the two groups. For that reason, the ICTY has used the term "Mujahideen" (which they spell Mujahedin) to designate foreigners from [[Arab]] countries, but also local Muslims (ie [[Bosniaks]]) who joined the Mujahideen units.<ref name=ICTY-Antonetti/> |
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<ref name="""""Islam,"""" Bosna, Sloveni:Evropska izgubljena bitka ">{{cite web |url=http://www.islam.co.ba/razmisljanja/index.php?subaction=ostalo&id=1070747643|title=Predrag Matvejević analysis}}</ref> |
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==El Mujahid Detachment== |
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The first Mujahideen training camp was located in [[Poljanice]] next to the village of [[Mehurici]], in the [[Bila]] valley, in [[Travnik]] municipality. The Mujahideen group established there included Mujahideen from Arab countries as well as Bosniaks. Amongst the local Bosniaks were former members of the [[Muslim Forces of Travnik]] and soldiers who were [[de jure]] members of 3rd Corps units, namely of the 7th and 306th Brigades. The Mujahideen from Poljanice camp were also established in the towns of [[Zenica]] and Travnik and, from the second half of [[1993]] onwards, in the village of [[Orasac]], also located in the Bila valley.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the Judgmenet for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=6540 Spero News], Bosnia: Muslims upset by Wahhabi leaders, Adrian Morgan, 13 November 2006</ref> |
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A small group of Arab volunteers arrived in central Bosnia in the second half of [[1992]] with the aim of helping their Bosnian [[Muslim]] coreligionists to defend from the [[Serb]] and [[Croat]] attacks. Mostly they came from [[North Africa]], the [[Near East]] and the [[Middle East]]. On August 13, 1993, the Bosnian Army decided to form a unit, ''Kateebat al-Mujahideen'' ("Battalion of the Holy Warriors") or ''El Mudžahid'' in order to impose control over the foreign fighters whose number increased. Initially, the foreign Mujahideen gave food and other basic necessities to the local Muslim population, deprived many necessities by the Serb forces. Once hostilities broke out between the Bosnian government (ABiH) and the Croat forces (HVO), the Mujahideen also participated in battles against the HVO alongside Bosnian Army units.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the Judgmenet for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006</ref> |
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According to the ICTYs indictment of Rasim Delic, Commander of Main Staff of the Bosnian army (ABiH), after the formation of the 7th Muslim Mountain Brigade of the ABiH 3rd Corps on 19 November 1992 the El Mujahid were subordinated within its structure. The Bosnian Mujahideen were involved in combat activities of units of the ABiH 3rd Corps, including the 7th Muslim Mountain Brigade, and frequently spearheaded ABiH 3rd Corps combat operations. On 13 August 1993 Rasim Delic then ordered the establishment within the ABiH 3rd Corps area of responsibility of the "EL Mujahed" unit, effective no later than 31 August 1993. The El Mujahed unit remained part of the ABiH 3rd Corps until its disbandment on 12 December 1995. |
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According to the Arab fighters who testified as the prosecution witnesses at the trial of Bosnian general Rasim Delic indicted by [[ICTY]] on the basis of superior criminal responsibility, the El Mujahid Detachment was only formally part of the Bosnian Army chain of command. All decisions were taken by the ''emir'' and the ''shura'', the Mujahideen commander and the Mujahideen supreme council respectively. This was because the ‘Army couldn’t be trusted’. <ref>ICTY: MUJAHIDEEN DIDN’T TRUST THE ARMY - |
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The military effectiveness of the Bosnian Mujahideen is disputed. However, former US Balkans peace negotiator [[Richard Holbrooke]] said in an interview that "I think the Muslims wouldn't have survived without this" help. At the time a U.N. arms embargo diminished the Bosnian government's fighting capabilities. Holbrooke called the arrival of the moujahedeen "a pact with the devil" from which Bosnia still is recovering.<ref>,[http://www.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-0110/msg00060.html LA Times], Bosnia Seen as Hospitable Base and Sanctuary for Terrorists, 8 October 2001</ref> |
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[http://www.sense-agency.com/en/stream.php?sta=3&pid=10847&kat=3]</ref> |
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==Incidents== |
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===Bosnian mujahideen units=== |
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On [[June 8]], 1993, [[Bosnian Army]] attacked Croat forces in the area of Maline village. After the village was taken, a military police unit of the 306th Brigade of Bosnian Army arrived in Maline. These [[policemen]] were to evacuate and protect the civilians in the villages taken by the Bosnian Army. The wounded were left on-site and around 200 people, including civilians and Croat soldiers, were taken by the police officers towards Mehurici. The commander of the 306th Brigade authorised the wounded be put onto a truck and transported to Mehurici. Suddenly, a number of mujahideen stormed the village of Maline. Even though the commander of the Bosnian Army 306th Brigade forbade them to approach, they didn't submit. The 200 villagers who were being escorted to Mehurici by the 306th Brigade military police were intercepted by the mujahideen in Poljanice. They took 20 military-aged Croats and a young woman wearing a Red-Cross armband. The prisoners were taken to Bikoci, between Maline and Mehurici. 23 Croatian soldiers and one young woman were executed in Bikoci while they were being held prisoner.<ref>Judgement Summary - Kubura and Hadzihasanovic [http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm]</ref> |
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At the end of the war there were a number of Bosnian mujahideen units in the Bosnian government army: |
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==Propaganda== |
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*'''[[3rd Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina|3rd Corps]]''' (the "''el Mudzahidin''"): this was the main Bosnian mujahideen unit with its main headquarters in [[Zenica]], central Bosnia. The 3rd Mujahedin Corps was comprised of three Brigades, each of about 1,500 troops. These brigades were: the [[7th Muslim Brigade|7th Muslim Liberation Brigade]] in [[Zenica]], the [[9th Muslim Liberation Brigade]] in [[Travnik]] (now operating under the [[Tuzla]]-based 2nd Corps), the [[4th Muslim Liberation Brigade]] initially deployed in the front lines in the "bulge" (Botsilo region) and then in [[Konjic]] and the [[807th Muslim Liberation Brigade]], was established on 20 December, 1995. The 807th Muslim Liberation Brigade is an integral component of the [[Gorazde]]-based 81st Division.<ref>[http://members.tripod.com/Balkania/resources/geostrategy/bodansky_peace/bp_part1.html#b03 Some Call It Peace: Waiting for the War In the Balkans] by Yossef Bodansky, 1996. Part 1, Chapter 3</ref> |
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{{main article|Serb propaganda}} |
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*'''[[Volunteer Mujahedin Battalion]]''' (the "''al Ansar''"): this was a separate force in the Zenica-Travnik area. The Ansar was 300 to 600 troops strong. The main headquarters was in the Vatrostalno Factory building in Podbrijezje (near Zenica). In addition, there was a camp called the "Martyrs' Detachment", which, since the Spring of 1995, had absorbed a few hundred new volunteers arriving from [[Iran]], [[Pakistan]] and [[Afghanistan]].<ref>[http://members.tripod.com/Balkania/resources/geostrategy/bodansky_peace/bp_part1.html#b03 Some Call It Peace: Waiting for the War In the Balkans] by Yossef Bodansky, 1996. Part 1, Chapter 3</ref> |
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Although Serb and Croat media created much controversy about alleged war crimes committed by the squad, no indictment was issued by [[ICTY]] against any of these foreign volunteers. The only foreign person convicted of war crimes was [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[neo-nazi]] [[Jackie Arklöv]], who fought in the [[Croatian army]] (first convicted by a Bosnian court, later by a Swedish court). |
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*'''[[Battalions of Believers]]''' (the "''Kata 'eb al-Manikin''"): this force included mainly Arabs. They were serving under the command of military officers from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The trainers and leadership were from Iran. Each Battalion was 300 to 600 troops strong. The first operational battalion was based in the [[Buzim]] area (north west Bosnia). Another battalion served as a special forces unit for the 2nd Corps in the [[Tuzla]] area.<ref>[http://members.tripod.com/Balkania/resources/geostrategy/bodansky_peace/bp_part1.html#b03 Some Call It Peace: Waiting for the War In the Balkans] by Yossef Bodansky, 1996. Part 1, Chapter 3</ref> |
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According to [[Predrag Matvejević]], a notable Italian and Croatian modern prosaist who analyzed the situation, the number of Arab volunteers who came to help the Bosnian Muslims, ''was much smaller than the number presented by Serb and Croat propaganda''.<ref name="""""Islam,"""" Bosna, Sloveni:Evropska izgubljena bitka ">{{cite web |url=http://www.islam.co.ba/razmisljanja/index.php?subaction=ostalo&id=1070747643|title=Predrag Matvejević analysis}}</ref> |
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*'''[[Handzar Division]]''': named after the [[13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)|13th Waffen-SS ''Handschar'' Division]] which served under the [[Nazi Germany|German]] flag in [[World War II]]. The contemporary Handzar Division comprised of a 2,500 to 3,000 elite force deployed in [[Sarajevo]] and a 6,000 to 7,500 strong back-up force at a major training base around [[Fojnica]], but is moved around to augment major fighting fronts. The majority of the troops of the Handzar Division come from the region's non-Bosnian Muslim minorities, primarily Albanians, and were led by veteran Pakistani and Afghan experts.<ref>[http://members.tripod.com/Balkania/resources/geostrategy/bodansky_peace/bp_part1.html#b03 Some Call It Peace: Waiting for the War In the Balkans] by Yossef Bodansky, 1996. Part 1, Chapter 3</ref> |
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According to the ICTY verdicts, Serb propaganda was very active, constantly propagated false information about the foreign fighters in order to inflame [[anti-muslim]] hatred among Serbs. After the takeover of Prijedor by Serb forces in 1992, Radio Prijedor propagated Serb nationalistic ideas characterising prominent non-Serbs as [[criminal]]s and [[extremist]]s who should be punished for their behaviour. One example of such propaganda was the derogatory language used for referring to non-Serbs such as '''[[mujahedin]], [[Ustasa]] or [[Green Berets]]''', although at the time there were no foreign volunteers in Bosnia. According to ICTY conclusion in [[Milomir Stakić|Stakić]] [[verdict]] Mile Mutić, the director of Kozarski Vjesnik and the [[journalist]] Rade Mutić regularly attended meetings of Serb [[politician]]s (local authorities) in order to get informed about next steps of spreading propaganda. <ref name="""""ICTY:"""" Milomir Stakić judgement - The media">{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/icty/stakic/trialc/judgement/sta-tj030731e.htm#ID2di|title=ICTY: Milomir Stakić judgement - The media|}}</ref> <ref name="""""ICTY:"""" Duško Tadić judgement - Greater Serbia">{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/icty/tadic/trialc2/judgement/tad-tj970507e.htm#_Toc387417236|title=ICTY: Duško Tadić judgement - Greater Serbia|}}</ref> |
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===Relationship to the Bosnian government army (ABiH) === |
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Another example of propaganda about ''Islamic holy warriors'' is presented in the ICTY ''Kordić and Čerkez verdict'' for [[war crimes]] and [[crimes against humanity]] committed by [[Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia]] leadership on Bosniak civilians. [[Gornji Vakuf]] was attacked by [[Croatian Army]] (HV) and [[Croatian Defence Forces]] (HVO) in January 1993 followed by heavy shelling of the town by Croat artillery. During [[cease-fire]] [[negotiation]]s at the Britbat HQ in Gornji Vakuf, [[colonel]] Andrić, representing the HVO, demanded that the Bosnian forces lay down their arms and accept HVO control of the town, threatening that if they did not agree he would flatten Gornji Vakuf to the ground. <ref name="""""ICTY:"""" Kordić and Čerkez verdict - IV. Attacks on towns and villages: killings - 2. The Conflict in Gornji Vakuf">{{cite web|url= |
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The extent to which the Bosnian mujahideen were controlled by the Bosnian government is contentious. According to a UN communiqué of 1995, the El Mujahid battalion was "directly dependent on BiH staff for supplies" and for "directions" during combat with the Bosnian Serbs.<ref>[http://www.amconmag.com/2007/2007_07_16/feature.html The American Conservative], The Bosnian Connection, by Brendan O’Neill, 16 July 2007</ref> The issue has formed part of two [[ICTY]] [[war crimes]] trials. In its judgement in the case of ICTY v. [[Enver Hadzihasanovic]] (commander of the 3rd Corps of the army of the Sarajevo-based government (ABiH), he was later made part of the joint command of the ABiH and was the Chief of the Supreme Command Staff) and [[Amir Kubura]] (commander of the [[7th Muslim Brigade]] of the 3rd Corps of the ABiH) the ICTY found that <blockquote>"there are significant indicia of a subordinate relationship between the Mujahedin and the Accused ''prior'' to 13 August 1993. Testimony heard by the Trial Chamber and, in the main, documents tendered into evidence demonstrate that the ABiH maintained a close relationship with the foreign Mujahedin as soon as these arrived in central Bosnia in 1992. Joint combat operations are one illustration of that. In Karaula and Visoko in 1992, at Mount Zmajevac around mid-April 1993 and in the Bila valley in June 1993, the Mujahedin fought alongside AbiH units against Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat forces." <ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the Judgmenet for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006</ref></blockquote> |
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http://www.un.org/icty/kordic/trialc/judgement/kor-tj010226e-5.htm#IVA2 |
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|title=ICTY: Kordić and Čerkez verdict - IV. Attacks on towns and villages: killings - 2. The Conflict in Gornji Vakuf|}}</ref> <ref name="""""SENSE"""" Tribunal: Poziv na predaju">{{cite web|url= |
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http://www.sense-agency.com/ba/stream.php?sta=3&pid=8670&kat=6 |
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|title=SENSE Tribunal: Poziv na predaju|}}</ref> The HVO demands were not accepted by the [[Bosnian Army]] and the attack continued, followed by massacres on Bosnian Muslim civilians in the neighbouring villages of Bistrica, Uzričje, Duša, Ždrimci and Hrasnica.<ref name="""""SENSE"""" Tribunal: Ko je počeo rat u Gornjem Vakufu?">{{cite web|url= |
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http://www.sense-agency.com/ba/stream.php?sta=3&pid=8652&kat=6 |
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|title=SENSE Tribunal: Ko je počeo rat u Gornjem Vakufu|}}</ref> <ref name="""""SENSE"""" Tribunal: ">{{cite web|url= |
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http://www.sense-agency.com/ba/stream.php?sta=3&pid=8662&kat=6 |
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|title=SENSE Tribunal: "James Dean" u Gornjem Vakufu|}}</ref>The shelling campaign and the attackes during the war resulted in hundreds of injured and killed, mostly Bosnian Muslim civilians. Although Croats often cited it as a major reason for the attack on Gornji Vakuf in order to justify attacks and massacres on civilians, the commander of the British Britbat company claimed that there were no Muslim ''holy warriors'' in Gornji Vakuf and that his soldiers did not see any. <ref name="""""ICTY:"""" Kordić and Čerkez verdict - IV. Attacks on towns and villages: killings - 2. The Conflict in Gornji Vakuf">{{cite web|url= |
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http://www.un.org/icty/kordic/trialc/judgement/kor-tj010226e-5.htm#IVA2 |
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|title=ICTY: Kordić and Čerkez verdict - IV. Attacks on towns and villages: killings - 2. The Conflict in Gornji Vakuf|}}</ref> |
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Mujahideen phenomenon is often used by Serb scholars as an instrument in denying and relativising war crimes committed by the Serbs. On [[September 20]], 2003, former President [[Bill Clinton]] honored the [[Srebrenica genocide]] dead and condemned the ''genocidal madness''.<ref>The New York Times - At Memorial In Bosnia, Clinton Helps Mourn 7,000 [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F01E7D9113AF932A1575AC0A9659C8B63]</ref> Soon after, Serb historian [[Carl Savich]] wrote that Clinton attended a memorial for dead mujahedeen troops in Bosnia.<ref>Serbianna: Carl Savich - [http://www.serbianna.com/columns/savich/061.shtml]</ref> |
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After the official formation of the El Mujahid battalion on 13 August 1993 it became part of the Bosnian Army, though with its own commanders. According to testimony and evidence presented at the [[ICTY]] trial of Bosnian government General [[Rasim Delic]], which began in July 2007, the Bosnian Mujahideen operated under the control of the Bosnian army (ABiH) though with their own commanders. <ref>[http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2007-09-07T164805Z_01_L07470729_RTRUKOC_0_US-BOSNIA-WARCRIMES-TRIAL.xml Reuters], Muslim fighter begins testimony in Bosnia trial, 7 September 2007</ref> <ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL14581486 Reuters], Tape suggests Bosnian general lied about mujahideen, 14 September 2007</ref> |
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==Al Qaeda speculation== |
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===War crimes=== |
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Following the end of the [[Bosnian War]] and, especially, after the [[September 11]] attacks on the World Trade Center, Serbian propaganda started to fabricate the links between [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and Al Qaeda, in order to move the focus from the [[Bosnian genocide|genocide committed by Serb forces in Bosnia]] to more interesting topic such as terrorism in the [[War on terror]] era. According to [[Radio Free Europe]] produced research by Vlado Azinović about alleged links between Bosnia and Al Qaeda ''"Al Qaeda in Bosnia: Myth Or Present Danger"'', the claims about the alleged presence of Al Qaeda in Bosnia are unverified and mostly fabricated. The presence of Wahhabism and of the remaining Muslim fighters do not qualify Bosnia as a particular threat to international security, according to the Azinovic's conclusion. Furthermore, Azinovic quotes Evan F. Kohlmann:<ref>Al-Kai'da u Bosni i Hercegovini:Mit ili stvarna opasnost?[http://www2.slobodnaevropa.org/al_kaida/00_umjesto_uvoda.html]</ref> |
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The judgements of Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kabura concerned a number of war crimes involving the Bosnian Mujahideen. Those included in the judgement are recounted below: |
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{{quote|Serb propaganda throughout the whole war had portrayed the [[Bosnian Muslims]] as violent extremists, fundamentalists, and as eager to jump on the bandwagon of the mujahedin.}} |
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::*on 26 January 1993, following an attack on the village of Miletici in Travnik Municipality, four Bosnian Croat men were captured, had their hands tied behind their backs and subsequently had their throats slit and their blood collected in a pan.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the judgement for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006</ref> |
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::*on 8 June 1993, 23 Croatian men and one young woman were executed in Bikoci while they were being held prisoner. The Trial Chamber finds that the perpetrators of the massacre were foreign and local Mujahedin.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the judgement for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006</ref> |
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::*from 26 January 1993 to 20 August 1993 and on 20 September 1993 civilian prisoner were held at the Music School in the town of Zenica, were victims of cruel treatment and physical and psychological abuse. During that period more than one hundred detainees were imprisoned at the Music School. 10 detainees described the violence they were subjected to. One witness told how during the night, detainees were taken out one by one from their cells upstairs at the Music School and that, with the lights out, they had to go through a line of soldiers who beat them with wooden shovel handles. The same witness stated that one day a military policeman ordered a father to beat his mentally handicapped son. When the father refused to do so, another detainee was forced to carry out the order.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the judgement for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006</ref> |
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::*on 18 May 1993, 16 Bosnian Croat and Bosnian Serbs civilians were taken to the Motel Sretno where they were beaten several times until the next morning, 19 May 1993, when they were set free. In the first phase of the interrogation, they were kicked with boots and beaten with rifle butts and fists. In the second phase, the detainees were forced to hit each other. In the third phase, they were forced to go through a row of soldiers who beat them with rifle butts. A witness told how he did not get up and how he lost consciousness after being beaten a dozen times by a truncheon on the head. In the fourth and last phase, the detainees were made to place their heads between the bars of their cells and were then beaten by pieces of wood. Evidence has indicated that after such brutalities some of the victims suffered several broken ribs, dislocated kidneys, and damaged spinal columns.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the judgement for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006</ref> |
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::*In late July or early August 1993, several detainees, including Mario Zrno, a prisoner of war, were taken outside the Bugojno Convent and subjected to severe beatings. Mario Zrno did not survive.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the judgement for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006</ref> |
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::*On the night of 5 August 1993, five or six prisoners, including Mladen Havranek, a prisoner of war, were severely beaten on the upper floor of the Slavonija Furniture Salon. Several witnesses stated that from the cell in the basement they heard Mladen Havranek screaming and begging for the beatings to cease. After repeated beatings, Mladen Havranek was unable to walk and was dragged down the stairs to the cell in the basement. Malden Havranek died as a result of his injuries that same night.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the judgement for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006</ref> |
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::*On 21 October 1993, Dragan Popovic, a Bosnian Serb civilian, was executed by members of the Bosnian Mujahideen detachment. In its judgement the ICTY notes that this murder was "particularly heinous". Dragan Popovic was taken with three other prisoners to a meadow where a pit had been dug. About 50 to 100 soldiers from the El Mujahed detachment stood around the pit shouting. Dragan Popovic was pushed to the edge of the pit and fell on his side after being tripped. One soldier then tried unsuccessfully to behead him with a hatchet, so another soldier had to finish the execution. The other prisoners were then forced to kiss the head of the deceased while the soldiers shouted in ritual celebration.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the judgement for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006</ref> |
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::*the Monastery of Guča Gora and the Church of St. John the Baptist in Travnik were damaged in June 1993 by Bosnian Mujahideen. In the Monastery of Guča Gora - which was both a sacred and historical site for the Croatian Catholic community - steles and the organ were destroyed, and the frescoes and walls were partially covered with inscriptions in Arabic. Similar destruction and damage was recorded at the church in Travnik: paintings, organs and windows were destroyed or vandalised and the statues of saints were decapitated.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY], Summary of the judgement for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006</ref> |
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The ICTY indictment of Rasim Delic, the Bosnian Mujahideen were involved in numerous war crimes during the summer of 1995. These are listed below: |
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::*21 July 1995: the El Mujahed unit decapitated the captured Bosnian Serb soldiers Momir Mitrovic and Predrag Knezevic.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/del-ii050317e.pdf ICTY indictment] against Rasim Delic</ref> |
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::*24 July 1995: while held at the Kamenica prison camp, the Bosnian Serb soldier Gojko Vujicic was behaded and the other prisoners were forced to kiss the severed head after which the head was placed on a hook on the wall in the room in which the prisoners were held.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/del-ii050317e.pdf ICTY indictment] against Rasim Delic</ref> |
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::*the Bosnian Serb prisoners held at the Kamenica Camp, run by the El Mujahed, were beaten and tortured, including with electrical shocks.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/del-ii050317e.pdf ICTY indictment] against Rasim Delic</ref> |
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::*60 Bosnian Serb males captured by the El Mujahed and held at the Kamenica Camp are missing and presumed to have been killed by the El Mujahed.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/del-ii050317e.pdf ICTY indictment] against Rasim Delic</ref> |
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::*an elderly Bosnian Serb man, held in the Kamenica Camp was beaten and forced to drink water mixed with petrol. He later died in the camp as a result of the mistreatment.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/del-ii050317e.pdf ICTY indictment] against Rasim Delic</ref> |
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::*three civilian female prisoners held at the Kamenica camp were beaten, kicked, hit with metal sticks and rifle butts, and subject to sexual assaults, including rape.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/del-ii050317e.pdf ICTY indictment] against Rasim Delic</ref> |
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== |
==Other information== |
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After the war, many of the Arabs attained Bosnian citizenship and settled in several villages throughout Bosnia. It is known that those who remained are concentrated around the cities of [[Zenica]], [[Maglaj]] and Bočinja and in villages near [[Brčko]].{{Fact|date=October 2007}} |
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The foreign moujahedeen units were disbanded and required to leave the Balkans under the terms of the 1995 Dayton peace accord. But many stayed - about 400, according to official Bosnian government estimates. Although the US State Department report suggested that the number could be higher, a senior SFOR official said allied military intelligence estimated that no more than 200 foreign-born militants actually live in Bosnia, of which closer to 30 represent a hard-core group with direct links to terrorism.<ref> [http://www.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-0110/msg00060.html LA Times], Bosnia Seen as Hospitable Base and Sanctuary for Terrorists, 8 October 2001</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/840241.stm BBC, Mujahideen fight Bosnia evictions, 18 July 2000]</ref> |
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==Notes== |
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A sizeable number were granted citizenship by Izetbegovic in exchange for their fighting in the Bosnian civil war. In September, 50 of these individuals had their citizenship status revoked. SInce then 100 more individuals have been prevented from claiming citizenship rights. 250 more were under investigation, while the body which is charged to reconsider the citizenship status of these former Mujahideen states that 1,500 cases will eventually be examined.<ref>[http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=6540 Spero News], Bosnia: Muslims upset by Wahhabi leaders, Adrian Morgan, 13 November 2006</ref> |
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* ([[ICTY]] conclusion) ''The evidence shows that foreign volunteers arrived in central Bosnia in the second half of 1992 with the aim of helping their Muslim brothers against the Serbian aggressors. Mostly they came from North Africa, the Near East and the Middle East. The foreign volunteers differed considerably from the local population, not only because of their physical appearance and the language they spoke, but also because of their fighting methods. Initially, the foreign volunteers gave food and other basic necessities to the local Muslim population. Once hostilities broke out between the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the HVO (Croat forces), they also participated in battles against the HVO alongside Army of BiH units.'' <ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/hadzihas/trialc/judgement/060315/hadz-sum060315.htm ICTY: Summary of the judgement for Enver Hadžihasanović and Amir Kubura]</ref> |
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==References== |
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== Links to Al Qaeda and Islamic terrorism== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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Following the end of the Bosnian War and, especially, after the 11 September attacks on the World Trade Center, the links between the Bosnian Mujahideen, Al Qaeda and the radicalization of some European Muslims has become more widely discussed. In an interview with US journalist [[Jim Lehrer]] former US peace envoy to Bosnia [[Richard Holbrooke]] states: |
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{{Yugoslav wars}} |
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<blockquote>There were over 1,000 people in the country who belonged to what we then called Mujahideen freedom fighters. |
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We now know that that was [[al-Qaida]]. I'd never heard the word before, but we knew who they were. And if you look at the 9/11 hijackers, several of those hijackers were trained or fought in Bosnia. We cleaned them out, and they had to move much further east into Afghanistan. So if it hadn't been for Dayton, we would have been fighting the terrorists deep in the ravines and caves of Central Bosnia in the heart of Europe. <ref>[http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/bosnia/july-dec05/holbrooke_11-22.html PBS Newshour with Jim Jim Lehrer], A New Constitution for Bosnia, 22 November 2005</ref></blockquote> |
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In 1996, in a book titled "Offensive In the Balkans", Dr. [[Yossef Bodansky]], Director of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare of the [[United States House of Representatives|US House of Representatives]] from 1988 to 2004, wrote as follows on the "Bosnian Jehad": |
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<blockquote>"...The build-up of new Islamist units was completed in Bosnia- Herzegovina in the Spring of 1995. These forces are closely associated with the Armed Islamist Movement (AIM) and Islamist international terrorismsuicide terrorists), both veteran Arabs and newly trained Bosnians. <ref>[http://www.saag.org/papers4/paper306.html South Asia Analysis Group], Bosnia & Hyderabad, by B.Raman, 3 September 2001</ref></blockquote> |
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London's ''[[The Spectator]]'' has noted, "If Western intervention in Afghanistan created the mujahedin, Western intervention in Bosnia appears to have globalised it." Several current and former top al-Qaeda militants and financiers reportedly participated in the Bosnian civil war with the full support of the United States. It was for the Bosnian jihad that the 9/11 'paymaster', [[Omar Sheikh]], was reportedly recruited to fight by the CIA and MI6. Al-Qada, in addition to his reported financing of the Bosnian jihad, has been identified as one of [[Osama bin Laden]]'s "chief money launderers". <ref>[http://www.theamericanmonitor.com/scratching.html The American Monitor], Scratching the Surface, by Devlin Buckley, 16 November 2006</ref> In his paper on the connection between Bosnian mujahideen and 'home grown' terrorists in Europe, terrorism expert Evan F. Kohlmann writes that: |
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<blockquote>Indeed, some of the most important factors behind the contemporary radicalization of European Muslim youth can be found in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where the cream of the Arab mujahideen from Afghanistan tested their battle skills in the post-Soviet era and mobilized a new generation of pan-Islamic revolutionaries. <ref>[http://www.fhs.se/upload/Webbadmin/Organisation/CATS/Kohlmann.doc The Afghan-Bosnian Mujahideen Network in Europe], by Evan F. Kohlmann</ref></blockquote> |
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== Further reading == |
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*[http://www.fhs.se/upload/Webbadmin/Organisation/CATS/Kohlmann.doc The Afghan-Bosnian Mujahideen Network in Europe], by, Evan F. Kohlmann. The paper was presented at a conference held by the Swedish National Defence College's Center for Assymetric Threat Studies (CATS) in Stockholm in May 2006 at the request of Dr. Magnus Ranstorp - former director of the St. Andrews University Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence - and now Chief Scientist at CATS). It is also the title of a [http://www.amazon.com/Al-Qaidas-Jihad-Europe-Afghan-Bosnian-Network/dp/1859738079 book] by the same author. |
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== See also == |
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*[[Bosnian War]] |
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*[[Mujahideen]] |
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*[[Alija Izetbegovic]] |
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*[[Revolutionary Guards]] |
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*[[Jihad]] |
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*[[7th Muslim Brigade]] |
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*[[Al Qaeda]] |
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== External links == |
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*[http://www1.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displaystory.cfm?subjectid=348882&story_id=9483606 The Economist], Balkan extremists, 12 July 2007 |
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*[http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_articles.asp?Article=193129&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30171&date=9-7-2007 Gulf Daily News], Bahraini key witness in Hague atrocity trial, 7 September 2007 |
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*[http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2007-09-07T164805Z_01_L07470729_RTRUKOC_0_US-BOSNIA-WARCRIMES-TRIAL.xml Reuters], Muslim fighter begins testimony in Bosnia trial, 7 September 2007 |
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*[http://www.amconmag.com/2007/2007_07_16/feature.html, The American Conservative], The Bosnian Connection, The civil war that inspired both liberal hawks and Islamist jihadis, by Brendan O’Neill |
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*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWRSoMBL82M&feature=related Youtube] video of Bosnian General Rasim Delic delivering his farewell speech to the El Mujaheed |
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*[http://www.sense-agency.com/en/stream.php?sta=3&pid=10350&kat=3 SENSE Agency], Survivor from Kamenica Camp testifies at Rasim Delic trial, 3 October 2007 |
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*[http://www.bim.ba/en/79/10/4113/ Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN)], CTY: BiH Army Knew About Mujahedin Crimes, 8 September 2007 |
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*[http://www.trial-ch.org/en/trial-watch/profile/db/facts/rasim_delic_273.html Trial], profile of Rasim Delic, former Chief of Staff of the Army of Bosnian Muslims responsible for the Bosnian Mujahideen |
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*[http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/del-ii050317e.pdf ICTY indictment] against Rasim Delic |
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*[http://www.senate.gov/~rpc/releases/1997/iran.htm Extended Bosnia Mission Endangers U.S. Troops], Republican Policy Committee, by Chairman Larry E. Craig, 16 January 1997 |
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*[http://www.serbianna.com/columns/savich/061.shtml Al-Qaeda in Bosnia: Bosnian Muslim War Crimes Trial], by Carl Savich for ''Serbianna'' (Serbian organization based in the United States), 4 December 2007 |
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*[http://www.vojska.net/eng/armed-forces/bosnia-and-herzegovina/army/foreign/ Foreign volunteers in Army B&H] by Michal Warczakowski at vojska.net |
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== References and notes == |
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{{Reflist}} |
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[[Category:Bosniaks]] |
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[[Category:Conflicts in 1995]] |
[[Category:Conflicts in 1995]] |
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[[Category:History of Bosnia and Herzegovina]] |
[[Category:History of Bosnia and Herzegovina]] |
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[[Category:War crimes in former Yugoslavia]] |
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[[Category:History of the Balkans]] |
[[Category:History of the Balkans]] |
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[[Category:Crimes against humanity]] |
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{{Link FA|bs}} |
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{{Link FA|de}} |
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{{Link FA|no}} |
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{{Yugoslav wars}} |
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Revision as of 17:15, 22 March 2008
Mujahideen came in Bosnia during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war after the massacres committed by the Serb forces on Bosnian Muslim (Bosniak) civilians. They intended to vage a holy war against the perpetrators. The number of volunteers is estimated by some newspaper reports to have been about 4,000,[1] but some recent research discards such claims estimating 400 foreign volunteers.[2] They came from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt and Algeria. It is alleged that mujahideen participated in some incidents considered to be war crimes according to the international law. However no indictment was issued by the ICTY against them, but a few Bosnian Army officers were indicted on the basis of superior criminal responsibility. Amir Kubura was found not guilty on all counts related to the incidents involving mujahideen. [3] On the other hand Enver Hadzihasanović was found guilty for failing to prevent the death of a prisoner of war.[4] He appealed against the first-instance judgment and was released provisionally in June 2007 pending the judgement of the Appeals Chamber.[5]
Background
During the Yugoslav wars, Bosnia-Herzegovina received humanitarian aid from Islamic countries as well as from the West, because of intensive and widespread killing, mass rapes, death camps, ethnic cleansing committed by Serb and, to a lesser extent, Croat forces. The main targets were Bosnian Muslim civilians. The world's highest court concluded that these crimes, committed during the 1992 -95 war, were crimes against humanity and genocide (dolus specialis) regarding Srebrenica region according to the Genocide Convention.[6]
Following such massacres, Arab volunteers came across Croatia into Bosnia to help the Bosnian Army protect the Bosnian Muslim civilian population. The number of the El-Mudžahid volunteers is still disputed, from around 300 [7]Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). to 1,500.[8] These caused particular controversy: foreign fighters, styling themselves mujahiddin, turned up in Bosnia around 1993 with Croatian identity documents, passports and IDs. They quickly attracted heavy criticism, who considered their presence to be evidence of violent Islamic fundamentalism at the heart of Europe. However, the foreign volunteers became unpopular even with many of the Bosniak population, because the Bosnian army had thousands of troops and had no need for more soldiers, but for arms. Many Bosnian Army officers and intellectuals were suspicuos regarding foreign volunteers arrival in central part of the country, because they came from Split and Zagreb in Croatia, and were passed through the self-proclaimed Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia without problems unlike Bosnian Army soldiers who were regularly arrested by Croat forces. According to general Stjepan Šiber, the highest ranking ethnic Croat in Bosnian Army, the key role in foreign volunteers arrival was played by Franjo Tuđman and Croatian counter-intelligence underground with the aim to justify involvement of Croatia in Bosnian War and mass crimes committed by Croat forces. Although Izetbegović regarded them as symbolically valuable as a sign of the Muslim world's support for Bosnia, they appear to have made little military difference and became a major political liability.
Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
El Mujahid Detachment
A small group of Arab volunteers arrived in central Bosnia in the second half of 1992 with the aim of helping their Bosnian Muslim coreligionists to defend from the Serb and Croat attacks. Mostly they came from North Africa, the Near East and the Middle East. On August 13, 1993, the Bosnian Army decided to form a unit, Kateebat al-Mujahideen ("Battalion of the Holy Warriors") or El Mudžahid in order to impose control over the foreign fighters whose number increased. Initially, the foreign Mujahideen gave food and other basic necessities to the local Muslim population, deprived many necessities by the Serb forces. Once hostilities broke out between the Bosnian government (ABiH) and the Croat forces (HVO), the Mujahideen also participated in battles against the HVO alongside Bosnian Army units.[9]
According to the Arab fighters who testified as the prosecution witnesses at the trial of Bosnian general Rasim Delic indicted by ICTY on the basis of superior criminal responsibility, the El Mujahid Detachment was only formally part of the Bosnian Army chain of command. All decisions were taken by the emir and the shura, the Mujahideen commander and the Mujahideen supreme council respectively. This was because the ‘Army couldn’t be trusted’. [10]
Incidents
On June 8, 1993, Bosnian Army attacked Croat forces in the area of Maline village. After the village was taken, a military police unit of the 306th Brigade of Bosnian Army arrived in Maline. These policemen were to evacuate and protect the civilians in the villages taken by the Bosnian Army. The wounded were left on-site and around 200 people, including civilians and Croat soldiers, were taken by the police officers towards Mehurici. The commander of the 306th Brigade authorised the wounded be put onto a truck and transported to Mehurici. Suddenly, a number of mujahideen stormed the village of Maline. Even though the commander of the Bosnian Army 306th Brigade forbade them to approach, they didn't submit. The 200 villagers who were being escorted to Mehurici by the 306th Brigade military police were intercepted by the mujahideen in Poljanice. They took 20 military-aged Croats and a young woman wearing a Red-Cross armband. The prisoners were taken to Bikoci, between Maline and Mehurici. 23 Croatian soldiers and one young woman were executed in Bikoci while they were being held prisoner.[11]
Propaganda
Although Serb and Croat media created much controversy about alleged war crimes committed by the squad, no indictment was issued by ICTY against any of these foreign volunteers. The only foreign person convicted of war crimes was Swedish neo-nazi Jackie Arklöv, who fought in the Croatian army (first convicted by a Bosnian court, later by a Swedish court).
According to Predrag Matvejević, a notable Italian and Croatian modern prosaist who analyzed the situation, the number of Arab volunteers who came to help the Bosnian Muslims, was much smaller than the number presented by Serb and Croat propaganda.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
According to the ICTY verdicts, Serb propaganda was very active, constantly propagated false information about the foreign fighters in order to inflame anti-muslim hatred among Serbs. After the takeover of Prijedor by Serb forces in 1992, Radio Prijedor propagated Serb nationalistic ideas characterising prominent non-Serbs as criminals and extremists who should be punished for their behaviour. One example of such propaganda was the derogatory language used for referring to non-Serbs such as mujahedin, Ustasa or Green Berets, although at the time there were no foreign volunteers in Bosnia. According to ICTY conclusion in Stakić verdict Mile Mutić, the director of Kozarski Vjesnik and the journalist Rade Mutić regularly attended meetings of Serb politicians (local authorities) in order to get informed about next steps of spreading propaganda. Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
Another example of propaganda about Islamic holy warriors is presented in the ICTY Kordić and Čerkez verdict for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia leadership on Bosniak civilians. Gornji Vakuf was attacked by Croatian Army (HV) and Croatian Defence Forces (HVO) in January 1993 followed by heavy shelling of the town by Croat artillery. During cease-fire negotiations at the Britbat HQ in Gornji Vakuf, colonel Andrić, representing the HVO, demanded that the Bosnian forces lay down their arms and accept HVO control of the town, threatening that if they did not agree he would flatten Gornji Vakuf to the ground. Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). The HVO demands were not accepted by the Bosnian Army and the attack continued, followed by massacres on Bosnian Muslim civilians in the neighbouring villages of Bistrica, Uzričje, Duša, Ždrimci and Hrasnica.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).The shelling campaign and the attackes during the war resulted in hundreds of injured and killed, mostly Bosnian Muslim civilians. Although Croats often cited it as a major reason for the attack on Gornji Vakuf in order to justify attacks and massacres on civilians, the commander of the British Britbat company claimed that there were no Muslim holy warriors in Gornji Vakuf and that his soldiers did not see any. Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
Mujahideen phenomenon is often used by Serb scholars as an instrument in denying and relativising war crimes committed by the Serbs. On September 20, 2003, former President Bill Clinton honored the Srebrenica genocide dead and condemned the genocidal madness.[12] Soon after, Serb historian Carl Savich wrote that Clinton attended a memorial for dead mujahedeen troops in Bosnia.[13]
Al Qaeda speculation
Following the end of the Bosnian War and, especially, after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Serbian propaganda started to fabricate the links between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Al Qaeda, in order to move the focus from the genocide committed by Serb forces in Bosnia to more interesting topic such as terrorism in the War on terror era. According to Radio Free Europe produced research by Vlado Azinović about alleged links between Bosnia and Al Qaeda "Al Qaeda in Bosnia: Myth Or Present Danger", the claims about the alleged presence of Al Qaeda in Bosnia are unverified and mostly fabricated. The presence of Wahhabism and of the remaining Muslim fighters do not qualify Bosnia as a particular threat to international security, according to the Azinovic's conclusion. Furthermore, Azinovic quotes Evan F. Kohlmann:[14]
Serb propaganda throughout the whole war had portrayed the Bosnian Muslims as violent extremists, fundamentalists, and as eager to jump on the bandwagon of the mujahedin.
Other information
After the war, many of the Arabs attained Bosnian citizenship and settled in several villages throughout Bosnia. It is known that those who remained are concentrated around the cities of Zenica, Maglaj and Bočinja and in villages near Brčko.[citation needed]
Notes
- (ICTY conclusion) The evidence shows that foreign volunteers arrived in central Bosnia in the second half of 1992 with the aim of helping their Muslim brothers against the Serbian aggressors. Mostly they came from North Africa, the Near East and the Middle East. The foreign volunteers differed considerably from the local population, not only because of their physical appearance and the language they spoke, but also because of their fighting methods. Initially, the foreign volunteers gave food and other basic necessities to the local Muslim population. Once hostilities broke out between the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the HVO (Croat forces), they also participated in battles against the HVO alongside Army of BiH units. [15]
References
- ^ Bosnia Seen as Hospitable Base and Sanctuary for Terrorists
- ^ Radio Free Europe (2007)- Vlado Azinović: Al-Kai'da u Bosni i Hercegovini - mit ili stvarna opasnost?
- ^ SENSE Tribunal article
- ^ Hadzihasanovic i Kubura - sažetak - [1]
- ^ Sense - APPELLATE HEARING IN HADZIHASANOVIC - KUBURA CASE[2]
- ^ ICJ: Serbia found guilty of failure to prevent and punish genocide
- ^ SENSE Tribunal:ICTY - WE FOUGHT WITH THE BH ARMY, BUT NOT UNDER ITS COMMAND [3]
- ^ SENSE Tribunal:ICTY - WE FOUGHT WITH THE BH ARMY, BUT NOT UNDER ITS COMMAND [4]
- ^ ICTY, Summary of the Judgmenet for Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura, 15 March 2006
- ^ ICTY: MUJAHIDEEN DIDN’T TRUST THE ARMY - [5]
- ^ Judgement Summary - Kubura and Hadzihasanovic [6]
- ^ The New York Times - At Memorial In Bosnia, Clinton Helps Mourn 7,000 [7]
- ^ Serbianna: Carl Savich - [8]
- ^ Al-Kai'da u Bosni i Hercegovini:Mit ili stvarna opasnost?[9]
- ^ ICTY: Summary of the judgement for Enver Hadžihasanović and Amir Kubura
