The Phenomenon of Foreign Terrorist Fighters in North Macedonia
Author(s):
Foreign terrorist fighters (FTF who traveled the battlefields of Iraq and/or Syria and have since returned to European soil, be it voluntarily or involuntarily – as well as the facilitators and recruiters of FTFs – pose a grave threat to society. Although the North Macedonian legal system imposes significant sanctions concerning these actions, the phenomenon continues to be a security risk. A more comprehensive institutional answer is necessary to terminate or prevent current and future occurrences that can lead to radicalization and violent extremism. For this purpose, national and regional programs tackling deradicalization and rehabilitation, resocialization, and reintegration (RRR) for persons associated with terrorist travel have been devised. This blog post explores the phenomenon of FTFs in North Macedonia, and programs in the country aimed at addressing both the radicalization and rehabilitation of FTFs.