Bosnians Willing to Do Time to Leave IS Jihad

Some Bosnian jihadists who have joined the Islamic State group want to return home and are ready to serve prison sentences to escape the difficult conditions in Iraq and Syria, prosecutors said Tuesday.

"Because of the unbearable conditions there, a number of Bosnian citizens in Syria or Iraq have contacted the (Bosnian) security agencies with the intention of returning to the country," said a statement from the prosecutors' office responsible for terrorism cases.

It said the jihadists were ready to "plead guilty and serve a prison sentence".

Prosecutors also welcomed an agreement reached with 24-year-old Emin Hodzic, who was arrested in September 2014 and pleaded guilty to "forming a terrorist group" and having "joined IS structures" in Syria and Iraq.

He agreed to serve 12 months in prison after the plea bargain deal that avoided a trial.

The statement did not specify the number of Islamist fighters who want to return to the Balkan country, which in 2014 adopted new legislation allowing jail sentences of up to 20 years for jihadists and their recruiters.

"Dozens of people are affected by the investigation," said prosecutors' spokesman Boris Grubesic.

"To date, 20 people have been charged with recruitment or joining foreign paramilitary groups," he said.

In November a Bosnian court jailed a radical Muslim leader for seven years for inciting terrorism by encouraging his followers to join jihadists in Syria and Iraq.

Local authorities cited by Bosnian media estimate the number of citizens who have gone to fight in the Middle East at between 230 and 330 -- some of them with their families. At least 26 have died and 50 returned home.

Bosnia has issued arrest warrants through Interpol against 67 suspects, Security Minister Dragan Mektic said earlier this week.

About 40 percent of Bosnia's 3.8 million people are Muslim, the vast majority of them moderates. The rest are mainly Orthodox or Catholic Christian.