Novosti: Self-Determination and Islamists building a new mosque in North Mitrovica

Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Islamists in Kosovo, under the guise of renovating the "Ibrahim Mosque," are constructing a new mosque in North Mitrovica, near the Bosniak neighborhood, according to Novosti.

The main proponents of this project are the Mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atic, and the President of the Kosovo Islamic Community Council, former mujahideen fighter Ekrem Avdiu.

Atic and Avdiu met yesterday to discuss the next steps in building the mosque. Avdiu had previously begun preparations for the construction work, in coordination with the president of the local branch of "Self-Determination" and former mayor of the southern part of the city, Agim Bahtiri.

All that is required now is for the local administration, under Atic's leadership, to issue the necessary permits and begin construction.

"This will be another attack on the Serbian community, which has not been consulted on whether it wants a mosque in the predominantly Serbian part of the city, and it will represent a new provocation for the local Serbs. Any protests or opposition from them would once again be labeled as intolerance and extremism by Pristina's propagandists," writes Novosti.

They add that Avdiu is not just an "ordinary imam" but is an ideological leader of Islamists in the Kosovska Mitrovica region. He personally has a long history of participating in wars against Serbs and recruiting Islamists for potential conflicts against Serbs in northern Kosovo, as well as for joining other battlefronts where Albanian mujahideen have fought.

They also state that this former member of "Al-Qaeda" is not the only Islamist partner of "Self-Determination" in Kosovo.

The article notes that, although nominally a left-wing movement, Albin Kurti's political organization has long had close cooperation with radical Islamists in Kosovo, as it sees them as useful allies in fighting external enemies and internal political opponents, as well as a significant asset for maintaining good relations with certain Islamic countries.

After "Self-Determination" came to power, conditions were created for radical Islamists, who had been somewhat pushed out of public life in Kosovo, to renew their intense activities. What is particularly concerning is the fact that individuals returning from battlefields in Syria and Iraq, including many former fighters of the terrorist organization "Islamic State," are now freely roaming and operating in Kosovo. Moreover, the ideological leaders who recruited, radicalized, and sent these terrorists to war are still recruiting new potential fighters and holding top positions in Kosovo's Islamic Community institutions.

Additionally, international Islamist foundations, which in the past served as fronts for funding terrorists and radical Islamist activities, are once again operating freely in Kosovo and other regions populated by Albanians. They receive logistical support and partnership on the ground from local "Self-Determination" officials like Erden Atic, as well as officials from other Albanian parties, such as the Mayor of South Mitrovica and potential candidate for Kosovo's Prime Minister, Bedri Hamza, according to Novosti.

Avdiu left Kosovska Mitrovica in 1990 to pursue Islamic studies in Saudi Arabia. From 1992 to 1994, he participated as an Islamist volunteer in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the "El-Mujahed" brigade. After completing his studies in Saudi Arabia in 1997, he spent time in Afghanistan, where he underwent military training.

Upon returning to Kosovo, he founded several Islamist organizations that served as fronts for financing the activities of radical Islamists and terrorists in Kosovo, with the aim of re-Islamizing and radicalizing Albanians and ultimately launching "jihad."

In mid-1998, Avdiu joined the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and, along with a group of ideological like-minded individuals, formed the mujahideen unit "Abu Bekir Sidik" in the Drenica region. The unit had 115 members, including around 40 mujahideen volunteers from the Middle East.

After Serbian security forces dismantled terrorist strongholds in Drenica in July 1998, Avdiu and a few of his comrades attempted to flee to northern Macedonia, where he was captured by Serbian police.

After confessing to his terrorist activities, Avdiu was sentenced by the District Court in Kosovska Mitrovica to nine years in prison.

He was granted amnesty and released from prison by the Serbian authorities in 2001.

Following his release, he returned to the city and, with significant support from his international patrons, particularly Abdullah Duhajmam, one of the closest associates of the late "Al-Qaeda" leader Osama bin Laden, quickly assumed leadership in the Islamic Community in the Kosovska Mitrovica region, while remaining the de facto leader of radical Islamists in the area.