Kosovo leaders urge youth not to go Syria

PRISTINA - The Associated Press

Kosovo’s top Muslim leaders are calling on the country’s youths who have joined rebels in Syria to stop fighting and come back home.

The Islamic Community of Kosovo said in a statement Nov. 13 that fighting in Syria “has nothing to do with religious principles” and it only prolongs the life President Bashar al-Assad’s government and the suffering of Syrian people. Authorities say some 150 ethnic Albanians are believed to have joined foreign rebels in Syria’s and some 12 are believed to have been killed there. The plea comes days after Kosovo authorities arrested six ethnic Albanians suspected of plotting a terrorist attack, including one believed to have fought alongside Syrian rebels.

Meanwhile, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence said German jihadists are heading for Syria in increasing numbers, unencumbered by travel formalities and able to integrate quickly into foreign militant groups where Arabic is not needed. Hans-Georg Maassen, said intelligence officers knew of 220 German citizens fighting in Syria, but the actual number could be much higher, and had risen sharply this year.

Hans-Georg Maassen, head of the Bundesamt fuer Verfassungsschutz since 2012 (BfV), said intelligence officers knew of 220 German citizens fighting in Syria, but the actual number could be much higher, and had risen sharply this year.