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SECURITY DEBATES ON FOREIGN FIGHTERS AND RADICALIZATION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Year 2025, Volume: 5 Issue: 1, 111 - 132

İbrahim Fevzi Güven

https://doi.org/10.63233/kbuiibfdergisi.1698134

Abstract

The phenomenon of foreign fighters, which has different examples throughout history, gained a new dimension in the context of “global jihad” with the Afghanistan War in the 1980s. After the Afghanistan War, foreign fighters, who were looking for new “jihad fields”, participated in the Bosnian War between 1992-1995. The fact that some of the foreign fighters who came to Bosnia and Herzegovina during the war period continued to stay in the country in the post-war period caused security concerns. In this context, concerns were expressed about the spread of radical ideas among Bosniak Muslims and the “Afghanisation” of the country. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the security concerns about the foreign fighter phenomenon in Bosnia and Herzegovina within the framework of the religious identity of Bosniaks. In the research, a descriptive method based on the narration of historical events was used. The data of the research was obtained by using qualitative research techniques, and books, articles, reports, and internet sources in the literature on the subject were utilized in the data collection phase. Considering the findings, when the security concerns about foreign fighters in Bosnia and Herzegovina were analyzed in the context of identity, it was concluded that the identity of the Bosniak society would not allow foreign fighters to establish activities that would pose a security threat in the country. The religious identity of Bosniak Muslims based on the Hanafi-Maturidi understanding inherited from the Ottoman period is quite different from the identity characteristics of foreign fighters in the country. Therefore, it seems unlikely that the identity of foreign fighters will be accepted in Bosnia and Herzegovina and penetrate the society

Keywords

Bosnia and Herzegovina Foreign Fighters Security Identity

References

  • Azinović, V., & Jusić, M. (2015). The lure of the Syrian war: the foreign fighters’ Bosnian contingent. Sarajevo: Atlantic Initiative.
  • Büyükkara, M. A. (2016). Ahrar-Aksa çatışması vesilesiyle yabancı savaşçıları yeniden konuşmak. Ortadoğu Analiz, 8(77), 59–62.
  • Dalar, M. (2008). Dayton Barış Antlaşması ve Bosna-Hersek’in geleceği. Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 9(16), 91–123.
  • Deliso, C. (2007). The Coming Balkan Caliphate: the threat of radical Islam to Europe and the West. Westport: Praeger Security International.
  • Delong-Bas, N. J. (2008). Wahhabi Islam: from revival and reform to global jihad. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Dzidic, D. (2016). Bosnia ‘failing to share terror threat intelligence’. İçinde Balkan Jihadists: The Radicalisation and Recruitment of Fighters in Syria and Iraq. Sarajevo: BIRN (Balkan Investigative Reporting Network).
  • Ekinci, M. U. (2017). Türkiye – Balkanlar ilişkileri. İstanbul: SETA.
  • EUROPOL (2023). European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TE-SAT). https://www.europol.europa.eu/cms/sites/default/files/documents/European%20Union%20Terrorism%20Situation%20and%20Trend%20report%202023.pdf
  • Hegghammer, T. (2011). The rise of Muslim foreign fighters: Islam and the globalization of jihad. International Security, 35(3), 53–94.
  • Holman, T. (2014). Foreign fighters from the Western Balkans in Syria. Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) Sentinel, 7(6), 8–13.
  • Independent Balkan News Agency. (2014). Sixteen suspects arrested in anti-terrorist operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. http://www.balkaneu.com/sixteen-suspects-arrested-anti-terrorist-operation-bosnia-herzegovina/
  • İzzetbegović, A. (2014). Tarihe tanıklığım (A. Erkilet, A. Demirhan & H. Öz, Çev.). İstanbul: Klasik.
  • Jukic, E. M. (2014). Bosnia steps up crackdown on Islamic militants. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnia-steps-up-crackdown-on-islamic-militants
  • Kepel, G. (2001). Cihat: İslamcılığın yükselişi ve gerilemesi (H. Bayrı, Çev.). İstanbul: Doğan Kitap.
  • Kohlmann, E. (2004). Al-Qaida’s jihad in Europe: the Afghan-Bosnian Network. Oxford: Berg Publishers.
  • Lederer, G. (2005). Countering Islamist radicals in Eastern Europe. CSRC discussion paper (05/42). https://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/testimony/33.pdf
  • Malet, D. (2015). What does the evidence tell us about the impact of foreign fighters on homegrown radicalization? Radicalization Research. http://www.radicalisationresearch.org/debate/malet-foreign- fighters-home-grown-radicalization/
  • Malet, D. (2010). Why foreign fighters? Historical perspectives and solutions. Orbis, 54(1), 97–114.
  • Mendelsohn, B. (2011). Foreign fighters: Recent trends. Orbis, 55(2), 189–202.
  • Mejdini, F., Ristic, M., Dzidic, D., Qafmolla, E., Marusic, S. J., & Zaba, N. (2017). Balkan jihadi warriors remain safe on the net. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/balkan-jihadi-warriors-remain-safe-on-the-netj-01-27-2017
  • Mitchell, J. (2008). The contradictory effects of ideology on jihadist war-fighting: The Bosnia precedent. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 31(9), 808–828.
  • Moore, C., & Tumelty, P. (2008). Foreign fighters and the case of Chechnya: A critical assessment. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 31(5), 412–433.
  • Mulholland, R. (2016). Muslim radicals in mountain villages spark fears in Bosnia. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/30/muslim-radicals-in-mountain-villages-spark-fears-in-bosnia/
  • Omerdic, S. (2018). 21. asırda Bosna Hersek’te İslami gündem. İlahiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi, (9), 115–134.
  • Orton, K. (2014). The Balkan front of the jihad in the Fertile Crescent. https://kyleorton1991.wordpress.com/2014/10/14/the-balkan-front-of-the-jihad-in-the-fertile-crescent/
  • Öktem, K. (2010). New Islamic actors after the Wahhabi intermezzo: Turkey’s return to the Muslim Balkans. European Studies Centre, University of Oxford.
  • Peker, A. F. (2011). Bosna'daki ABD elçiliği saldırısı Vahhabi eylemi mi? http://www.usasabah.com/Guncel/2011/10/29/bosnadaki-abd-elciligi-saldirisi-vahhabi-eylemi-mi
  • Penketh, A. (2014). French suspect in Brussels Jewish museum attack spent year in Syria. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/01/french-suspect-brussels-jewish-museum-attack-syria
  • Petrović, P. (2016). Islamic radicalism in the Balkans. European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS).
  • Ruvic, D. (2015). Islamic State flags appear, then disappear, in Bosnian village. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-bosnia-islamicstate-idUSKBN0L920720150205
  • Ross Solberg, A. (2007). The role of Turkish Islamic networks in the Western Balkans. Südosteuropa, 55(4), 429–462.
  • Roy, O. (2003). Küreselleşen İslam (H. Bayrı, Çev.). İstanbul: Metis Yayınları.
  • Sadowski, Y. M. (1995). Bosnia's Muslims: A fundamentalist threat? The Brookings Review, 13(1), 10–15.
  • Schwartz, S. (2012). Bosnia re-arrests top Wahhabi plotter after U.S. embassy attacked. http://www.weeklystandard.com/bosnia-re-arrests-top-wahhabi-plotter-after-us-embassy-attacked/article/620840?nopager=1
  • Smith, R. J. (2000). A Bosnian Village's Terrorist Ties. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/03/11/a-bosnian-villages-terrorist-ties/8e467a35-c407-44a0-ab15-432a7bc7bf36/
  • Tabak, H., & Bozkurt, A. (2022). Turkish Islam and Turkey’s Battle for Influence in the Western Balkans. İçinde Turkey’s Return to the Western Balkans (ss.115-140). London: Springer.
  • Telibecirovic, A., & Colakovic, S. (2016). Saraybosna Kuşatması 1992-1996 (M. Bal, Çev.). Zenica: Vrijeme.
  • The Buffalo News. (1995). Croat teen flees terror of Bosnia boy, family trying to adjust to new life in Lackawanna. http://buffalonews.com/1995/07/17/croat-teen-flees-terror-of-bosnia-boy-family-trying-to-adjust-to-new-life-in-lackawanna/
  • United Nations Security Council. (1991). Resolution 713 (S/RES/713). https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/596/49/IMG/NR059649.pdf?OpenElement
  • Watts, C. (2008). Foreign fighters: How are they being recruited? Two imperfect recruitment models. Small Wars Journal, 1–10.
  • Wright, L. (2006). The looming tower: Al-Qaeda and the road to 9/11. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
  • Woehrel, S. (2010). Islamic terrorism and the Balkans. Pennsylvania: Diane Publishing.
  • Yalçınkaya, H. (2015). IŞİD ve yabancı terörist savaşçılar. Ortadoğu Analiz, 7(66), 34–36.
  • Yenigün, C., & Hacıoğlu, Ü. (2010). Bosna-Hersek: Batı’nın güvenini kaybettiği medeniyet. İçinde K. İnat, B. Duran, & M. Ataman (Ed.), Dünya Çatışmaları: Çatışma Bölgeleri ve Konuları (ss. 671–689). Ankara: Nobel.

BOSNA HERSEK'TE YABANCI SAVAŞÇILAR VE RADİKALLEŞME EKSENİNDE GÜVENLİK TARTIŞMALARI

Year 2025, Volume: 5 Issue: 1, 111 - 132

İbrahim Fevzi Güven

https://doi.org/10.63233/kbuiibfdergisi.1698134

Abstract

Tarih boyunca farklı örneklerine rastlanan yabancı savaşçı olgusu, 1980'lerde Afganistan Savaşıyla birlikte “küresel cihat” bağlamında yeni bir boyut kazanmıştır. Afganistan Savaşının ardından yeni ‘cihat sahaları’ arayan yabancı savaşçılar, 1992-1995 yılları arasında Bosna Savaşına katılmışlardır. Savaş döneminde Bosna Hersek'e gelen yabancı savaşçıların bir kısmının savaş sonrası dönemde ülkede kalmaya devam etmesi güvenlik kaygılarına neden olmuştur. Bu bağlamda, yabancı savaşçıların Boşnak Müslümanlar arasında radikal fikirler yaymasından ve ülkenin “Afganistanlaşmasından” duyulan endişeler dile getirilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, Bosna Hersek’teki yabancı savaşçı olgusu ile ilgili ortaya konulan güvenlik kaygılarının Boşnakların dini kimliği çerçevesinde analiz edilmesidir. Araştırmada tarihsel olayların anlatımı üzerine kurulu betimsel bir yöntem kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın verileri nitel araştırma teknikleri kullanılarak elde edilmiş, veri toplama aşamasında konu ile ilgili literatürde yer alan kitaplar, makaleler, raporlar ve internet kaynaklarından yararlanılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular ışığında, Bosna Hersek ’te yabancı savaşçılarla ilgili ortaya konulan güvenlik kaygıları kimlik bağlamında analiz edildiğinde, Boşnak toplumunun kimliğinin yabancı savaşçıların ülkede güvenlik tehlikesi ortaya çıkaracak boyutta etkinlik kurmalarına izin vermeyeceği sonucuna varılmıştır. Boşnak Müslümanların Osmanlı döneminden miras kalan Hanefi-Maturidi anlayışa dayalı dini kimliği, ülkede bulunan yabancı savaşçıların sahip olduğu kimlik özelliklerinden oldukça farklıdır. Bu nedenle yabancı savaşçıların kimliğinin Bosna Hersek ’te kabul görmesi ve topluma nüfuz etmesi olası gözükmemektedir

Keywords

Bosna Hersek Yabancı Savaşçılar Güvenlik Kimlik

References

  • Azinović, V., & Jusić, M. (2015). The lure of the Syrian war: the foreign fighters’ Bosnian contingent. Sarajevo: Atlantic Initiative.
  • Büyükkara, M. A. (2016). Ahrar-Aksa çatışması vesilesiyle yabancı savaşçıları yeniden konuşmak. Ortadoğu Analiz, 8(77), 59–62.
  • Dalar, M. (2008). Dayton Barış Antlaşması ve Bosna-Hersek’in geleceği. Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 9(16), 91–123.
  • Deliso, C. (2007). The Coming Balkan Caliphate: the threat of radical Islam to Europe and the West. Westport: Praeger Security International.
  • Delong-Bas, N. J. (2008). Wahhabi Islam: from revival and reform to global jihad. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Dzidic, D. (2016). Bosnia ‘failing to share terror threat intelligence’. İçinde Balkan Jihadists: The Radicalisation and Recruitment of Fighters in Syria and Iraq. Sarajevo: BIRN (Balkan Investigative Reporting Network).
  • Ekinci, M. U. (2017). Türkiye – Balkanlar ilişkileri. İstanbul: SETA.
  • EUROPOL (2023). European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TE-SAT). https://www.europol.europa.eu/cms/sites/default/files/documents/European%20Union%20Terrorism%20Situation%20and%20Trend%20report%202023.pdf
  • Hegghammer, T. (2011). The rise of Muslim foreign fighters: Islam and the globalization of jihad. International Security, 35(3), 53–94.
  • Holman, T. (2014). Foreign fighters from the Western Balkans in Syria. Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) Sentinel, 7(6), 8–13.
  • Independent Balkan News Agency. (2014). Sixteen suspects arrested in anti-terrorist operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. http://www.balkaneu.com/sixteen-suspects-arrested-anti-terrorist-operation-bosnia-herzegovina/
  • İzzetbegović, A. (2014). Tarihe tanıklığım (A. Erkilet, A. Demirhan & H. Öz, Çev.). İstanbul: Klasik.
  • Jukic, E. M. (2014). Bosnia steps up crackdown on Islamic militants. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnia-steps-up-crackdown-on-islamic-militants
  • Kepel, G. (2001). Cihat: İslamcılığın yükselişi ve gerilemesi (H. Bayrı, Çev.). İstanbul: Doğan Kitap.
  • Kohlmann, E. (2004). Al-Qaida’s jihad in Europe: the Afghan-Bosnian Network. Oxford: Berg Publishers.
  • Lederer, G. (2005). Countering Islamist radicals in Eastern Europe. CSRC discussion paper (05/42). https://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/testimony/33.pdf
  • Malet, D. (2015). What does the evidence tell us about the impact of foreign fighters on homegrown radicalization? Radicalization Research. http://www.radicalisationresearch.org/debate/malet-foreign- fighters-home-grown-radicalization/
  • Malet, D. (2010). Why foreign fighters? Historical perspectives and solutions. Orbis, 54(1), 97–114.
  • Mendelsohn, B. (2011). Foreign fighters: Recent trends. Orbis, 55(2), 189–202.
  • Mejdini, F., Ristic, M., Dzidic, D., Qafmolla, E., Marusic, S. J., & Zaba, N. (2017). Balkan jihadi warriors remain safe on the net. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/balkan-jihadi-warriors-remain-safe-on-the-netj-01-27-2017
  • Mitchell, J. (2008). The contradictory effects of ideology on jihadist war-fighting: The Bosnia precedent. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 31(9), 808–828.
  • Moore, C., & Tumelty, P. (2008). Foreign fighters and the case of Chechnya: A critical assessment. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 31(5), 412–433.
  • Mulholland, R. (2016). Muslim radicals in mountain villages spark fears in Bosnia. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/30/muslim-radicals-in-mountain-villages-spark-fears-in-bosnia/
  • Omerdic, S. (2018). 21. asırda Bosna Hersek’te İslami gündem. İlahiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi, (9), 115–134.
  • Orton, K. (2014). The Balkan front of the jihad in the Fertile Crescent. https://kyleorton1991.wordpress.com/2014/10/14/the-balkan-front-of-the-jihad-in-the-fertile-crescent/
  • Öktem, K. (2010). New Islamic actors after the Wahhabi intermezzo: Turkey’s return to the Muslim Balkans. European Studies Centre, University of Oxford.
  • Peker, A. F. (2011). Bosna'daki ABD elçiliği saldırısı Vahhabi eylemi mi? http://www.usasabah.com/Guncel/2011/10/29/bosnadaki-abd-elciligi-saldirisi-vahhabi-eylemi-mi
  • Penketh, A. (2014). French suspect in Brussels Jewish museum attack spent year in Syria. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/01/french-suspect-brussels-jewish-museum-attack-syria
  • Petrović, P. (2016). Islamic radicalism in the Balkans. European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS).
  • Ruvic, D. (2015). Islamic State flags appear, then disappear, in Bosnian village. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-bosnia-islamicstate-idUSKBN0L920720150205
  • Ross Solberg, A. (2007). The role of Turkish Islamic networks in the Western Balkans. Südosteuropa, 55(4), 429–462.
  • Roy, O. (2003). Küreselleşen İslam (H. Bayrı, Çev.). İstanbul: Metis Yayınları.
  • Sadowski, Y. M. (1995). Bosnia's Muslims: A fundamentalist threat? The Brookings Review, 13(1), 10–15.
  • Schwartz, S. (2012). Bosnia re-arrests top Wahhabi plotter after U.S. embassy attacked. http://www.weeklystandard.com/bosnia-re-arrests-top-wahhabi-plotter-after-us-embassy-attacked/article/620840?nopager=1
  • Smith, R. J. (2000). A Bosnian Village's Terrorist Ties. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/03/11/a-bosnian-villages-terrorist-ties/8e467a35-c407-44a0-ab15-432a7bc7bf36/
  • Tabak, H., & Bozkurt, A. (2022). Turkish Islam and Turkey’s Battle for Influence in the Western Balkans. İçinde Turkey’s Return to the Western Balkans (ss.115-140). London: Springer.
  • Telibecirovic, A., & Colakovic, S. (2016). Saraybosna Kuşatması 1992-1996 (M. Bal, Çev.). Zenica: Vrijeme.
  • The Buffalo News. (1995). Croat teen flees terror of Bosnia boy, family trying to adjust to new life in Lackawanna. http://buffalonews.com/1995/07/17/croat-teen-flees-terror-of-bosnia-boy-family-trying-to-adjust-to-new-life-in-lackawanna/
  • United Nations Security Council. (1991). Resolution 713 (S/RES/713). https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/596/49/IMG/NR059649.pdf?OpenElement
  • Watts, C. (2008). Foreign fighters: How are they being recruited? Two imperfect recruitment models. Small Wars Journal, 1–10.
  • Wright, L. (2006). The looming tower: Al-Qaeda and the road to 9/11. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
  • Woehrel, S. (2010). Islamic terrorism and the Balkans. Pennsylvania: Diane Publishing.
  • Yalçınkaya, H. (2015). IŞİD ve yabancı terörist savaşçılar. Ortadoğu Analiz, 7(66), 34–36.
  • Yenigün, C., & Hacıoğlu, Ü. (2010). Bosna-Hersek: Batı’nın güvenini kaybettiği medeniyet. İçinde K. İnat, B. Duran, & M. Ataman (Ed.), Dünya Çatışmaları: Çatışma Bölgeleri ve Konuları (ss. 671–689). Ankara: Nobel.
There are 44 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language Turkish
Subjects International Relations (Other)
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

İbrahim Fevzi Güven 0000-0001-8616-947X

Early Pub Date June 29, 2025
Publication Date
Submission Date May 13, 2025
Acceptance Date June 28, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Volume: 5 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Güven, İ. F. (2025). BOSNA HERSEK’TE YABANCI SAVAŞÇILAR VE RADİKALLEŞME EKSENİNDE GÜVENLİK TARTIŞMALARI. Karabük Üniversitesi İktisadi Ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 5(1), 111-132. https://doi.org/10.63233/kbuiibfdergisi.1698134