Who are the fighters from the Western Balkans in Syria?

Albanians from several Western Balkan states have been seen active in the recent fighting in Syria, which led to the overthrow of the government there.

The fighters are believed to be grouped in an Albanian-speaking unit within the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) coalition, declared terrorist by the US and its allies, which led to the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in early December. .

"Jemati Alban" is the name by which the group of Albanian fighters has identified itself in public, especially in social networks, writes Free Europe.

Albanians, however, make up only a small fraction of the hundreds of foreign fighters in the ranks of the rebel group that seized power. HTS itself and allied groups are believed to have around 10 fighters in total.

It has been designated a terrorist organization by the US and the EU, and was previously linked to Al-Qaeda. Having recently taken power, this alliance has pledged tolerance and inclusiveness, although there are concerns about their links to terrorist groups.

Who is the Alban Congregation and what is its importance in Syria?

Adrian Shtuni, an expert on foreign policy and security operating in Washington and an associate of the International Center for Counter-Terrorism, in The Hague, says that this group has been active in Syria since 2012, although not officially under this name as Xemati Alban, but its components, the people who formed this group later used this as the name Xemati Alban.

According to him, the Alban Congregation is made up of dozens of people, has an ethnic Albanian command structure and is about "a jihadist and well-structured Islamist group".

"The people who are members of this group come mainly from Kosovo, from North Macedonia, but also from other Albanian territories in the Balkans, and from the diaspora," he says.

"The leader of the Albanian group there is a 48-year-old man from Skopje known as Abu Qatade al-Albani. His real name is Abdul Jashari and he had high advisory functions with the commander of HTS", says Shtuni.

Abdul Jashari has been sanctioned by the US since 2016. According to the Treasury's decision, this military adviser has been sanctioned as one of the leaders of Al-Nusra, Al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, and has helped raise funds for the families of Nusra fighters.

The group has been quite active on social networks, especially on Telegram, publishing the progress of the battles and even videos and photos of soldiers, mostly in disguise.

A video verified by REL, dated November 30, shows an Albanian-speaking soldier standing on a rampart in Aleppo's old city, Syria's second largest.

The video was shot on the day HTS took control of the northwestern city.

The unidentified person, in the Albanian language, talks about the liberation of Aleppo, praying for other liberations from the "great oppression", as he refers to the Assad regime.

The same soldier carries an "Albanian Tactical" insignia, which is believed to be a training-focused subgroup of the Albanian Congregation.

"The Alban community is divided into several groups which are specialized: one for mine throwing, the other is a group of snipers and then we also have this training group called Albanian Tactical", says Shtuni.

He adds that the group of Albanians and its leadership have a special importance within HTS.

REL has identified several Telegram groups ranging from hundreds to thousands of followers that publicize the activities of militant soldiers in Syria.

Most of the content of the posts is in the Albanian language, and there are also some videos where the soldiers speak Albanian and show scenes from different cities of Syria, especially after the recent actions to overthrow the government there.

Kosovo authorities have not responded to Radio Free Europe about the number of current fighters from Kosovo in Syria, nor their participation in the HTS coalition.

However, previous records show that more than 350 people are believed to have gone to Syria since 2011, mostly to join the extremist group, Islamic State.

Kosovo has adopted the Law on the prohibition of participation in armed conflicts outside the territory of Kosovo in 2015, while since 2019 several repatriation operations were organized, with which hundreds of people were returned.

In the Correctional Service of Kosovo, they tell Radio Free Europe that after court proceedings, about 42 prisoners for participation in foreign wars have passed through its correctional institutions. Currently, there are 7 of them in correctional institutions.

Earlier it was said that around 100 Kosovars continue to remain in the territory of Syria and Iraq.

Until the defeat of the Islamic State in late 2017, most Kosovars in Syria lived in the territories controlled by this group.

Lavdrim Muhaxheri, a militant of the Islamic State, who was declared killed, was known as a leader of Albanians in the terrorist formations of the Islamic State.

"It was suicide", former fighters from the Balkans recount their experiences in Syria

Also from other countries in the region, ethnic Albanians flocked to Syria to join the extremist Islamic State (IS) group and the Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda.

Among them was an ethnic Albanian from North Macedonia who fought in Syria for four years until 2020 and then returned to Europe.

"I was young, we were deceived by videos on the Internet," he told Radio Free Europe, on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

"Then we got in touch with some from Turkey, and we left (for Syria). It was suicide. We barely managed to get out of there," added the man, who did not reveal the group he joined.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia, a total of 4 Macedonian citizens are currently participating in the battlefields in Syria and Iraq.

This ministry also confirmed that there are ethnically divided groups, including in this case the Alban Congregation, with Albanian members from several Balkan countries.

Samet Shabani, from the organization Horizon Civitas, which deals with the full implementation of freedoms and human rights, says that the phenomenon of recruitment of Albanians in wars in the Middle East "is in significant decline in the last 8 years".

North Macedonia has also categorized participation in foreign armed conflicts as a criminal offense.

"Therefore, I estimate that if there will be further annexations in the Middle East, they will be for reasons of eternal migration to the so-called 'promised lands' rather than for reasons of war", says Shabani.

Children of fighters, remaining in Syria

In addition to active Albanian fighters, there are also members of their families in Syria.

Among them is Eva Dumani from Albania, who was 8 years old when her father, Shkëlzeni, took her to Syria in 2013 and joined the Islamic State.

Her father, although legally prosecuted in Albania, is believed to have been killed in Syria.

The whereabouts of Eva, now 21, is unknown, although orphans and widows of IS militants are often held in camps by rival groups.

Xhetan Ndregjoni from Tirana, Eva's uncle, told Radio Evropa e Lire that he speaks to his niece sporadically "even though she is reluctant to reveal her exact location or situation."

"Write a word now, one in a few hours or days."

"Several times I wanted to leave for Syria, but I don't know if my niece is under pressure and doesn't dare to say that she wants to leave or if she has been radicalized and doesn't want to leave," said Ndregjoni.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Albania told REL that it believes that "there are currently 30 Albanian citizens" in Syria, but did not provide more details.

Bosnian citizens have also participated in the fighting in Syria.

One of them, who has been living in Syria since 2013, is among several dozen Bosniaks believed to be there.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, he described himself as a former "hippie" who turned to Salafism, an ultra-radical sect under Sunni Islam.

He said he moved to Syria to fight against the Assad government and help "liberate the people of Syria."

"I was in several groups," he said without specifying. "I think it was easier for me, because I had no concept of war."

The man said he gave up fighting in 2018, marrying a local woman and moving into civilian life in the northwestern province of Idlib, an HTS stronghold.

Many Europeans who joined armed groups in Syria were radicalized online or lured by local recruiters. Others were motivated by religious beliefs and the idea of ​​jihad, or holy war. Some were attracted by money offered by militant groups.

Adrian Shtuni from the International Center Against Terrorism, does not believe that the interests of Albanian fighters to return to their countries can increase now, even after the fall of the Assad regime.

"I'm not sure they would want to return, as these people are focused, have a jihadist background, have risked their lives for their ideological goals, which they have not hidden," he says, adding that some of some of them may have ambitions for positions in the new government in Syria.