TIRANA, June 19 – An annual report by the U.S. State Department valued Albania as a strong supporter of counter-terrorism efforts in 2014 and also for joining the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
It said that in August and December 2014, Albania donated a sizable amount of weapons and ammunition for Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq.
But the report also noted that the small Western Balkan country is also a source country of foreign terrorist fighters going to Syria and Iraq.
The report notes that Albania has criminalized terrorist acts, financing of terrorism, collection, transfer and concealment of funds that finance terrorism, conducting transactions with persons in the UN list, recruiting and training people to commit terrorist actions, incitement of terrorist actions and establishing, leading, and participating in terrorist organizations.
But Washington also reminded Tirana that its law enforcement authorities have not taken an equally aggressive approach to countering potential terrorist threats.
The Albanian State Police announced plans in October 2014 to expand substantially its counter-terrorism unit, which need more efforts to equip and train the unit sufficiently to achieve the necessary level of capacity to counter terrorism effectively.
Albania does not have the capacity to collect biometric data other than that contained on biometric identity cards and passports presented at border crossing points.
The Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program, ICITAP, funded by the Department of State, provided a new information technology module to the Albanian government which gives it the capacity to incorporate online fingerprint identification functions. That will allow Albanians to collect entry and exit information of international travelers, the report noted
It added the customs agency has improved its performance at ports of entry and has strengthened its relationship with the Border Police,
The report also evaluated last year’s operation by police against an alleged Syria fighter recruitment ring, resulting in the arrest of nine people for “inciting acts of terrorism.”
Corruption, combined with a poorly functioning judicial system, continued to hinder Albania’s law enforcement efforts, the report added.
