Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH’s) minister of security Dragan Mektic said that some 260 BiH’s citizens are currently in camps in Syria, and that they will be accepted in BiH.
Mektic explained during the press conference in Banja Luka, a city located some 200 kilometers northwest of the capital Sarajevo, that “it is reasonably believed that 100 men were former members of Islamic State (IS) and of 160 women, some of them were also members of IS”, who are to be deported by the Turkish authorities.
Mektic explained that it was agreed on October 10 this year, with Turkish authorities, for nine men to be handed over to BiH. Namely, there was an international arrest warrant for nine men because of their terrorist activity in Syria.
One three-year-old child is also expected to be handed over to BiH whose family was killed in an airstrike, and who has grandparents living in BiH.
“I have been informed that this is being cancelled until further notice,” Mektic said, explaining it was cancelled because of Turkish invasion in Syria.
Mektic added that it was an obligation of the BiH’s authorities to accept BiH’s citizens and that the perpetrators of terrorist offenses will be the subject of investigations and indictments, Klix.ba news portal reported on Monday.
He also explained that women who were IS members, if they performed auxiliary tasks of cleaning and preparing meals and other housework’s, will be held accountable in accordance with the law.
Identity of BiH’s citizens in camps in Syria will be determined before deportation, including the biological parents of children and whether they are entitled to BiH citizenship.
“No one who does not have BiH citizenship will be accepted. The ultimate measure will be DNA analysis,” Mektic concluded, Klix.ba news portal reported.
