The real number of Kosovo citizens who have joined the Islamic State terror group is likely to reach 900 people, which is three times more than what official records state, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told the UN Security Council late on Monday.
In his address, Dacic cited information provided by foreign security services.
According to Dacic, the unstable situation in Kosovo is additionally worsened by the spread of extremism and radical ideologies, TASS news agency reported.
Serbia’s top diplomat said that data issued in January this year showed that 300 men and 36 women from Kosovo have joined the Islamic State structures in Syria, however, according to the security services, their number in reality is significantly higher.
Dacic stressed that Kosovo has the highest percentage of citizens who partake in the Islamic State battles in relation to the total number of the population than any other European country.
Kosovo‘s ambassador to the US, Vlora Citaku, who also attended the UN Security Council session dedicated to the future of her country, said the authorities in Pristina are putting extra efforts in halting the recruitment of volunteers for the Islamic State, and that this year, not one Kosovo citizen has joined the terrorist organization.
She pointed that Pristina deems the Islamic State recruits a threat to the entire region, and that is why it has become an active partner in the global coalition fighting the jihadist group.
