The “Asker” association formed by Naser Oric and Berin Balijagic created camp for training jihadi children in Bosnia

Behind the “Asker” Association, which has come into the focus of public interest in training children with military-like skills, are Naser Oric and Berin Balijagic.

A video appeared on the Internet where the Association for the Development of Positive and Physical Characteristics “Asker” in the camp trains children in the Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as lecturers appear persons whose appearance is characteristic for members of the Salafist movement.

The “Asker” Association is registered in Sarajevo at the end of 2015.

However, the Association of the same name was registered as Association of martial arts club “Asker Academy” on 22 October 2014 at Zahir Panjete’s address in the municipality of Novo Sarajevo.

Berin Balijagic as President of the Assembly, Naser Oric as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Armin Baltic as Secretary General of the Club are registered in the register of associations led by the competent Ministry of Canton Sarajevo.

Berin Balijagic is a long-time acquaintance of Naser Oric, and in the summer of 2017, the same name and surname was the first in the job vacancy in the Special Unit of the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs. Oric was a war command of the Bosnian forces in Srebrenica, and recently he was first acquitted before the Court of BiH of charges of horrific war crimes against Serbs.

Oric’s statement yesterday could not be obtained because he was not available on the phone.

Berin Balijagic contacted the contact telephone of the Asker Academy, who asked by local news agency whether this academy had anything to do with Asker, said that it was his association, but that he did not have any activities. However, after questioning to comment on public attitudes about military training and radical Islamic indoctrination , Balijagic become very angry.

– What do you call me from Banja Luka? What video, what kind of military training? I did not see anything. I have nothing to tell you. I do not work in the Bosnian authorities, they have mixed me with someone – said Balijagic.

Then he called us himself and said more calmly that he “has nothing to do with it”.

In addition to physical training, religious indoctrination and winter camps for children, “Asker” also has an ersoft club, which regularly organizes tournaments and trainings and thus boasts on its Instragam profile. The most common tournaments are organized at the location of the former sock factory in Ilidza, where several infantry teams are simulated using ersoft weapons, uniforms and other tactical equipment, which, according to their own publications on social networks, are imported from Taiwan.

Also, the previous year they praised the photo of their members under full equipment in the MI8 helicopter, which in BiH have only the BiH Armed Forces.

– It is certain that there have been abuses of the funds of the Armed Forces – the source is quoted.

On the video clip published on YouTube, one of the instructors was identified as Enes Mukovic, who moved from Vienna from the end of the nineties and settled in Gornja Maoca. Mukovic is a man who was taken to the “Lightness” campaign in 2010 for hiding weapons. Mukovic is a radicalized figure associated with the Wahabi leader Nusret Imamovic.

Minister of Security Dragan Mektic said earlier that he was not familiar with the activities of “Asker”, but that he will investigate everything. On yesterday’s question whether they learned anything, Mektic said that this was done, but that it took more time.

– We know that due to their activities, they are not threatened by direct and immediate danger, otherwise we would block everything. We need time to see who stands behind the association and what their motives are – said Mektic.