In the Balkans, al Qaeda threats drop off the radar

The latest tape from Osama bin Laden provoked little interest in the Balkans, with most seeing it as a problem for Western Europe and the United States.

In November 2003, terrorists with links to al-Qaeda bombed four locations in Istanbul. [Getty Images]

Osama bin Laden directed his latest threats at European countries, particularly those that have co-operated with the United States in its global war on terror. In a tape released late last month, the al-Qaeda leader said he aimed to send "a message to the peoples of Europe".

But in one part of the continent -- Southeast Europe -- his words attracted little attention. Governments had no official reaction, and local press outlets and political analysts treated the story as having little to do with the region.

The tape even failed to stir interest in Turkey, where operatives linked to al-Qaeda carried out deadly attacks four years ago. With Turks currently preoccupied with violence by Kurdish extremists and a cross-border operation into northern Iraq, concerns about bin Laden and his global terror network have waned among the public. Anti-US sentiment is strong, and glitches in the EU accession process have distanced the country from Europe as well.

The Turkish government refrained from making any public comment on the tape. Media in the country treated it as an international issue of concern mainly to the West.

Turkey's largest circulation daily, Hurriyet ran a brief story in its foreign section, and did not emphasise any potential threat to Turkey.

Other media outlets gave the story little attention, in part because other events dominated the headlines. On November 29th, one day after the tape was released, a domestic airliner crashed, killing all 57 on board. The following day, the Turkish military moved against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists based in northern Iraq.

The new tape from bin Laden was his fifth public statement this year. In it, he urged people in European countries to pressure their governments to end military co-operation with the United States.

He accused several current and former European leaders -- including current British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy -- of being "under the shadow of the White House".

Several countries in Southeast Europe have participated in the US-led operation in Iraq, NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF), or both, making them potential targets.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Romania all have contingents in Iraq.

Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Romania and Turkey are part of ISAF.

Southeast Europe has also been a site for al-Qaeda recruitment activities, with the group seeking to exploit the religious divisions that fuelled the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, mujahedeen fighters with links to al-Qaeda joined the Bosnian Army in the fight against Bosnian Serb forces. Al-Qaeda activity has also been reported in Kosovo.

It is Turkey, however, that has had the deadliest experience with terrorism perpetrated by the group.

In November 2003, bombers carried out attacks against two synagogues, the British Consulate General, and HSBC bank. At least 60 people were killed. Captured suspects said they had acted on direct orders from bin Laden himself, and had travelled to Afghanistan to train and plan for the attacks.

Bin Laden wanted the group to attack US interests, particularly the military base at Incirlik, media reports quoted suspects as saying. However, the original targets proved too difficult to attack and the group had to settle for more vulnerable sites. In the end, most of the victims were Turks.

Despite the apparent dwindling public interest, Turkish analysts say police and security officials continue to take the al-Qaeda threat seriously, and are closely monitoring sympathisers.