Kosovo man charged with joining terror groups

TIRANA, Albania – Kosovo prosecutors have charged a citizen for joining the Islamic State terror group in Syria as a foreign fighter.

A prosecutor’s office statement Thursday said the man, identified only as M.D., went to the Turkish city of Istanbul together with his wife and son in 2013.

He moved to Kilis and then to Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border, where he joined IS.

He stayed with the group until 2017 when he handed himself over to Turkish authorities and asked to be extradited to Kosovo.

He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Kosovo authorities claim no citizens have joined extremist groups in Syria and Iraq in the past three years or so. About 160 Kosovo citizens are still actively supporting the groups there.