Rep Says 40 Americans With Jihadists in Somalia

[High_Gravity]

Rep Says 40 Americans With Jihadists in Somalia

WASHINGTON -- More than 40 Americans have been recruited and radicalized by al-Qaida-linked terrorists in Somalia and have gone to the war-torn country to fight, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee says.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., plans to outline the findings of his committee's own investigation Wednesday during the third hearing in a series on Muslim radicalization in the U.S.

U.S. counterterrorism officials have not confirmed the high numbers of Americans joining the Somali terror organization, al-Shabab. The government has said at least 21 Americans are believed to have traveled to Somalia to join the terror group, which began as a push to expel Ethiopian soldiers, and some of those young men have died in the fight. Al-Shabab has expanded its focus over the years, and it has aligned itself with other anti-Western terror groups.


Republican staff on the Homeland Security Committee also found that more than 20 Canadians had also been recruited and radicalized and joined the fight in Somalia. Canadian police have said several Somali youths from the Toronto area are suspected to have traveled to Somalia to join al-Shabab.

In his prepared opening remarks, obtained by The Associated Press, King said al-Shabab is "engaged in an ongoing, successful effort to recruit and radicalize dozens of Muslim-American jihadis, who pose a direct threat to the U.S."

King said al-Shabab is not just a Somali problem - the organization has a large cadre of American jihadis and ties to al-Qaida, particularly the terror group's Yemen branch.

"We must face the reality that al-Shabab is a growing threat to our homeland," King said.

King has been criticized for unfairly singling out Muslims in his series of hearings over the past few months on Islamic radicalization in the U.S. Some of those who oppose these inquisitions have said the committee should also focus on the threat other types of extremism, including right-wing extremism in the U.S., particularly as that ideology appeared to motivate the man accused in the recent deadly attacks in Norway.

Rep Says 40 Americans With Jihadists in Somalia

 

[waltky]

Islamists preying on refugees...

Somali militiamen prey on refugees fleeing famine
Aug 2,`11 -- Somalis with new uniforms and guns they say were bought by Kenya's government are supposed to be guarding the Somali-Kenya border against al-Qaida-linked militants. But many don't get paid, and some sell their weapons or prey on refugees fleeing famine.

This new breed of gunman in an area awash with weapons is making the trek from Somalia's parched landscape even more dangerous for thousands of defenseless refugees. Among the latest victims of the lawlessness were a 13-year-old girl and her two sisters, who fled Somalia with their parents. After the family crossed into Kenya, gunmen stopped their donkey cart, robbed the parents and kidnapped the girls. The three young sisters were gang-raped for two days before being released, the teen told an Associated Press reporter, then buried her face in her shawl. It was not clear if the attackers were members of the border militia or outlaws who had bought their guns.

Aid groups operating around the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya say many refugees have been attacked by gunmen, some of whom may have come from the so-called Jubaland militia that guards the Somali-Kenya border. Militiamen "come to the refugee areas and disturb them," said Sabik Shakuku, a Kenyan who receives funding from the Pan African Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution. "We have told the government but they have not taken action." Kenyan police arrested three deserters from the border force on Saturday for trying to sell their weapons, said Nelson Tatliti, the deputy officer in charge of the police station at Dadaab. "These are the ones causing problems on the border," he said.

A Kenyan government spokesman did not return calls seeking comment. Kenya has long asserted the presence of al-Shabab, an Islamist militant group that controls huge swaths of southern Somalia near its border, is a major security threat - one reason the government would back a border militia. Hussein Mohamed, a commander with the Jubaland force, said Kenya "gives us a lot of help because we are fighting al-Shabab." Clad in a new olive green uniform, he pointed out shoes, vehicles, uniforms and weapons he said were gifts from Kenya. But, he acknowledged, many members of the militia are not paid.

"About 60 percent of us get paid," said Mohamed, who was guarding the border on a recent day as a convoy of Kenyan government vehicles thundered past, escorting a local militia leader in a vehicle flying the blue-and-white Somali flag. "The rest must share, or go without," he said. Tens of thousands of people have died in the Horn of Africa drought and more than 12 million people in the region need food aid, according to the United Nations. Some parents arrive at refugee camps in Kenya carrying children so malnourished their swollen heads loll on stick-thin necks. The arms of others are empty, their dead sons and daughters left behind on the road.

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[High_Gravity]

Those refugee camps are going to be Al Shababs feeding grounds, give those starving refugees some money and food and they will do pretty much whatever you ask.

 

[LAfrique]

Most likely republicans and tea partiers.

 

[kiwiman127]

Unfortunately, most of the US Americans who have hooked up with al-Shabab are probably from Minneapolis. It's been a huge problem here.

 

[High_Gravity]

Unfortunately, most of the US Americans who have hooked up with al-Shabab are probably from Minneapolis. It's been a huge problem here.

The Minneapolis/Somalia link is perplexing to say the least.