Volunteers of the Islamic State from the Western Balkans and the issue of their return

Abstract

According to estimations, the number of the men and their family members from the Western Balkan countries exceeded 1000 persons, who travelled to the territory of Iraq or Syria to support their Muslim comrades. Most of them joined the Islamic State there, while the minority multiplied the ranks of Jabhat al-Nusra or other smaller jihadist groups. However, hundreds of them have already returned from the Middle East to their country of origin in the recent years or months, where they faced different treatments depending on their gender and age.