Last week this blog reported the remarkable case of two Iranian spies in Sarajevo who had been ordered to leave Bosnia by the end of April yet who simply had not done as ordered by Bosnian authorities. My detailed post on the matter sparked some interest in the case and resulted in some laudable press coverage.
Bosnians – like many people – tend to take action when foreigners notice their shenanigans. My post called for Western assistance with this case and perhaps that helped too in the aftermath of some sunlight being cast on this revealing episode which Bosnia’s Islamists would prefer to stay in the shadows.
Therefore I am happy to report that the Bosnian Ministry of Security has announced that the two Iranian “diplomats” in question, Hamzeh Doolab Ahmad and Jadidi Sohrab, have now left the territory of Bosnia and Hercegovina. Dnevni avaz, the Sarajevo daily that has reported on the case, today has pictures demonstrating that the Iranians have indeed left, as ordered, though the report does not provide much additional detail.
Being gone is enough. This was a rare and overdue loss for Iranian intelligence in the Balkans. Kudos to the Ministry of Security and its officers, some of whom I am proud to call friends, who made the politically tough call and did the right thing. Bosnia, a poor country with vast problems, has no need for spies from Tehran who foment terrorism and extremism across the region. Let’s hope this is the start of a trend.
The XX Committee 
Hopefully Iran is about to lose one of its last remaining friends in Syria. That will in turn undermine Hezbollah in Lebanon, hopefully fatally. That in turn might make the Israelis unclench a little.