Hungarian intelligence said in a recent report that the Taliban, coordinated by the government of Afghanistan, is taking control of migrant trafficking gangs along the southern border with Europe and Serbia.
The Hungarian government report, which was leaked to the media in that country, said Taliban fighters are exploiting “frequent infighting” between human trafficking gangs and have taken control of most of their operations, according to a report by the European Conservative.
“The smuggling business is becoming more and more lucrative every year, as evidenced by the constant rise in the number of illegal immigrants caught, as well as the periodic market redistribution battles and radicalization of rival criminal gangs,” the news outlet reported the leaked document saying, adding that the average price to cross the border is also steadily increasing, reaching as high as €1000 per person, and that there are 1,000-1,200 attempts to illegally cross each night.
The infighting has led to “almost daily” shootouts between gangs, with Serbian police officers and Hungarian border agents among the victims as the various groups compete for a greater market share of refugees fleeing Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as more border territory.
The report said Serbian police made some 4,500 arrests during recent raids following a deadly shooting.
“In the north of Serbia, near the Hungarian border, we have practically a de facto ‘state’ of immigrant bandits that nobody controls, except their criminal bosses,” Andrej Mitic, the International Secretary of the Serbian Movement Dveri party told the news outlet. “The situation is very serious — murders, rapes, and clashes between bands of migrants in the north of Serbia became a regular thing.”
While the leaked Hungarian report points to the Taliban, some doubt their involvement and believe it is a publicity stunt.
“Some emerging groups are adopting the names and symbols of renowned Taliban units more as a strategy to attract potential clients using powerful symbols familiar to Afghans, rather than actual affiliation with these units,” Srboljub Peovic, a research assistant at the Institute of European Studies told the publication.
The report also said that there are concerns that other terrorist organizations could follow the Taliban’s lead and get involved in the smuggling and hence “scale up” the problem.
While both Serbia and Hungary could use force to ease the situation, the report said those governments fear that would also lead to an escalation of violence against them.
“It would presumably lead to an organized, violent response from the criminal gangs too,” the report said. “Putting the lives of both professional personnel and migrants at risk on a daily basis.”
Charles Kim ✉
Charles Kim, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years in reporting on news and politics.
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