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| Europe |
| Al-Qaeda recruiting Bulgarian students |
| 2003-12-18 |
| Bulgarians pursuing religious studies at Jordan universities are being lured into al-Qaeda’s terrorism network, Bulgarian 24 Chasa daily said Wednesday. According to the article’s author, the information came from some Istanbul journalists who were familiar with a special services report on worldwide-spread terrorism. In 1999, Afghan radical groups prepared a plan for recruiting religious studies scholars from Jordan universities, the newspaper claims. Al-Qaeda is also eyeing youths from Romania, Bosnia, Macedonia and the province of Kosovo, the article says. Those who develop the perfect skills for enticing new al-Qaeda followers themselves, travel back to their homelands and start "preaching." As for those who are less clever but prove to be fanatically devoted to the group, they leave for Afghanistan to take the lead of fighters’ parties, the article explains. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #8 Folks, I'm no expert, but I'm sure that Murat or Aris (where is he anyway?) could vouch for this: Bulgaria has a roughly 10% ethnic Turkish minority with the usual historic/demographic axe to grind. For instance, during Soviet times, Bulgarian Turks were "strongly encouraged" to abandon Turkish/Islamic given names (and even surnames) and adopt Bulgarian names instead. Plus there are smaller numbers of Muslim ethnic Bulgarians (locals call them "Gorans" or "Pomaks"). Either way, just another tailor-made conscription pool of pissed-off, underemployed, undereducated, Hurrah! My first RB post after more than a year of spineless but daily lurking. |
| Posted by: Dan (not Darling) 2003-12-18 8:03:19 PM |
| #7 Shipman, funny you should mention, today's report on initial unemployment claims shows a sharp unexpected decrease. |
| Posted by: domingo 2003-12-18 9:04:56 AM |
| #6 NotMikeMoore, but every bit as stupid! Thanks for the laugh, now go clean my toilets. |
| Posted by: Swiggles 2003-12-18 8:45:26 AM |
| #5 NMM are some economic numbers coming out today? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-12-18 8:06:47 AM |
| #4 Given the kill ratios we're hitting in Iraq, I'm expecting NMM to be screaming genocide shortly to help out his friends there who are members of the Jihadi League of the Walking Brain Dead... |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-12-18 7:42:12 AM |
| #3 This is quite likely, but there are strong pro-US sentiments among some in Bulgaria too. I've met a few young Bulgarians who will be effective leaders there, I think. |
| Posted by: rkb 2003-12-18 6:12:52 AM |
| #2 Bring 'em on sez Bush--we have enough cannon fodder of our own |
| Posted by: NotMikeMoore 2003-12-18 1:49:40 AM |
| #1 From Soviet stooges, to Islamist cannon fodder... |
| Posted by: Pappy 2003-12-18 1:01:55 AM |