The Washington Post report highlights the concerning emergence of the Balkans, and particularly Bosnia , as a jihadist terrorist haven on Europe?s flank, with networks reaching into other European nations. Areas of the Balkans seem to represent a highly advantageous terrorist operations environment and staging ground. As the New York Times quotes of Dragan Mektic, Bosnia’s deputy security minister, “all the indicators show that Bosnia is a territory where they can come and rest, organize their activities, and then go and carry out” an attack. Further, as the Washington Post reports:

Today, parts of Bosnia framed by the cities of Zenica, Tuzla, Sarajevo and Travnik are home to?[mujihedeen veterans and jihadist] immigrants and compose the core regions for Islamic militancy, Bosnian police and Western intelligence officials say. Until recently, the immigrants tried to keep a low profile. Western intelligence officials here and in Belgrade surmised that they wanted to exploit Bosnia as a logistics and transit point and not invite a crackdown from local police or European Union peacekeepers.?