Islamic State militants have established a stronghold in a picturesque village in mainland Europe where everyone is 'ready to respond to the summons to jihad (holy war)', it has been revealed.

Land in Osve, Bosnia-Hercegovina, is being bought by ISIS fighters and security services believe the area is used to train terrorists.

The discovery comes after the mountain village of Gornja Maoca in the country, where residents fly the notorious ISIS flag, was raided by police.

Picturesque: Land in Osve in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Europe, is being bought by ISIS fighters, it has been claimed

A terrorism expert said a large number of people are going to fight in Syria from Osve, Bosnia-Hercegovina

Isolated: The area in Bosnia-Hercegovina is believed to have been used to train terrorists who then head to Syria to fight

According to Patrick Hill and Ed Wight at the Sunday Mirror, at least 12 jihadis trained in Osve and travelled to Syria in recent months. Five have reportedly been killed.

A number of high-profile terrorists are said to have bought land and properties in the area.

Terrorism expert Dzevad Galijasevic told the Sunday Mirror that a large number of people are going to Syria from the village, which he describes as the source of a major terror threat.

'There is no one there who isn’t ready to respond to the summons to jihad,' he added.

However, radical Muslims are a minority in Bosnia, which has a mostly moderate and secular Muslim population.

However some youngsters have embraced the ideas of the puritanical Sunni Wahhabi sect.

Land in Osve, Bosnia-Hercegovina, is being bought by ISIS fighters. The discovery comes after the mountain village of Gornja Maoca in the country was raided by police

The recognisable Islamic State flag is displayed at the entrance to Gornja Maoca in Bosnia-Hercegovina

The distinctive ISIS flag adorns buildings in Gornja Maoca, which is home to followers of the radical Wahhabi movement

Gornja Maoca (pictured) is home to Bosnian followers of Wahhabism, a strict form of Sunni Islam

In April, Bosnia introduced jail terms of up to 10 years for citizens who fight or recruit fighters for conflicts abroad.

In September, Bosnian police detained 16 people on charges of financing terrorist activities, recruiting and fighting for radical groups in Syria and Iraq, authorities said.

The arrests were made in 17 raids across the Balkan country. Television footage showed police making arrests in Gornja Maoca.

Militant Islam was all but unknown to Bosnia's mostly secular Muslim population until the 1990s Balkans wars when Arab mercenaries turned up to help the outgunned Bosnian Muslims fend off Serb attacks.