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On Friday at around midnight in Pristina, returned home a group of citizens from Kosovo, who had stayed for a while in Syria. They are mainly women and children of Albanian fighters involved in conflicts in the Middle East.
The family members being held in camps in Syria were brought to Pristina by plane from Turkey.Justice Minister Abelar Tahiri said briefly at Pristina airport that " about the planned operation to return home some of our citizens from Syria, we can say that has already been successfully completed".
He warned more detail on Saturday but did not want to talk about the number of returnees.
"I can confirm that this operation has already been completed according to plan.
The collapse of the militant group of the Islamic State (ISIS), which once controlled over 100,000 square miles of territory and at least eight million people, has caused many of its fighters to be caught while their family members are held in various camps.
Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, some 400 Kosovo citizens are believed to have been involved in conflict in the Middle East. Over 70 people have lost their lives, while around 130 have returned home, mostly disappointed with what they have faced. Over 50 people have been convicted so far for their involvement in the Middle East wars.
Authorities in Kosovo believed that still fifty Kosovo citizens continue to stay in conflict areas in Syria and Iraq, along with about 44 women and 110 children, most of whom were born in those territories.
Their return to security institutions is a major challenge for Kosovo's security.
The return of the first group of Albanian warrior family members was made under extraordinary security measures.