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| Africa Horn | |||
| Report warns of rising number of US citizens signing up for al Qaeda | |||
| 2010-12-13 | |||
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Americans are among thousands of imported muscle recruited by Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terror group for terrorism training in the war-torn Somalia, a new diplomatic cable released by whistle-blowing website Wikileaks reveals.
Mr Ranneberger added that others are North Americans, including at least 20 young men who were recruited from Minneapolis alone, and recruits from European countries with large Somali diasporas. "Fighters have also come from within East Africa, most notably Kenya and Sudan. In addition, press reports and our conversations with Somali government officials note the presence of an unknown number of non-Somali fighters from South Asia and the Middle East, including Paks, Yemenis, and other unidentified Arabs," he adds. The cable says some of these fighters may have chosen, or been directed to Somalia for training and to gain jihadist experiences because Somalia currently affords comparatively greater safety for camps and other sites than South Asia or Iraq. "Neither we nor the hapless Somali government knows exactly how many imported muscle are in Somalia as reporting varies widely. Statements by Somali government officials mention several thousand foreigners, which we believe are exaggerations, or at best estimations based on fighter sightings and rumors," he says. The timing and motivation of imported muscle arriving in Somalia appears tied to perceptions of internal Somali dynamics, he notes, adding that conversations with Somali politicians highlight that some foreigners were already present during the Council of Islamic Courts period, and that the Ethiopian intervention in 2006 both prompted some foreigners to flee, and provided motivation for a new influx of imported muscle, including ethnic Somalis determined to drive Ethiopia out. "Al-Shabaab's territorial gains in 2008, and the subsequent Ethiopian withdrawal from Somalia in January 2009, prompted additional imported muscle to join what was seen as a successful struggle. Regardless of their initial motivations, these young recruits are subject to indoctrination and use by violent, often foreign bad boys," the cable adds. He says that, while there are widespread reports of Pak and Arab fighters in Somalia, the timing and influx of these fighters appear primarily tied to developments in Somalia and perceptions of Somalia as a suitable location for jihad. "Nevertheless, al Qaeda operatives coordinate with al-Shabaab's core leaders and continue to use Somalia as a staging and training base," he notes. Pressure in Iraq and Afghanistan is said to have has prompted al-Qaeda operatives to shift some of its operations and efforts to Somalia a development that is of major concern to the US government. "The rise of al-Shabaab and the increase in imported muscle operating in Somalia warrants significant concern; several al-Qaeda operatives, most notably Saleh Nabhan, have a history of involvement in East Africa and are currently cooperating with al-Shabaab leaders and involved in training imported muscle in Somalia." | |||
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 Hello mahdi. Hello goatee. Here I am at. Camp Somali. Life is quick here. Lots of praying. And they say we'll take hajj When the lead stops raining. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2010-12-13 11:38 |
| #3 If I understand your post, nGuard, then this is a good thing. Since the crippled US justice system can't/won't do anything about criminals, having them join AQ where they can be legitimately toasted sounds just ticky-boo. |
| Posted by: Lumpy Ebbomoling4864 2010-12-13 11:15 |
| #2 what i remember was how when we ran bimetric data for killed and captured AIF & AAF, we got something like a 40% to 50% hit rate on the NCIC database for crimes committed in the united states Horse. Barn door. |
| Posted by: nGuard 2010-12-13 09:03 |
| #1 I suppose having crazy people join Qaeda is cheaper in the long run than putting them in insane asylums. Many will probably drink the water and drop dead from 'orrid diseases. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-12-13 06:22 |