Hundreds of militants from Europe and the Middle East are heading to Iraq to fight the US-led occupation, the New York Times reported yesterday, citing counterterrorism officials in six countries. âThe intelligence officials say that since late summer they have detected a growing stream of itinerant Muslim militants headed for Iraq,â the Times said.
| I think we've noticed that. The Euros might be a new addition... |
The influx does not appear to be coordinated, but rather a movement of âyoung, angry menâ heeding the calls of Osama bin Laden and other militants to wage war on occupying forces in Iraq.
| I'm sure they're helped along by al-Muhajiroun and Hizb ut-Tahrir and similar organizations, but also by their friendly local imams. But they don't let you buy tickets to Damascus without money. Wonder who's providing that? |
Most foreign fighters captured thus far in Iraq hail from Middle Eastern countries like Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, or from North Africa, a senior British official told the Times. But signs of a movement to Iraq have also been detected in France, Germany and Saudi Arabia, the report said.
| The Soddies, of course, say it ain't so... |
The assessments are based on surveillance of mosques and Islamic centres and on interrogations of suspects captured in Iraq, it said. The report comes as the number of attacks in Iraq increases and amid troubling new signs that foreigners are involved in carrying them out.
Military officials suspect that Izzat Ibrahim, a senior official in Saddam Husseinâs now toppled government, is recruiting foreign fighters and was a key organizer of recent attacks on foreign and Iraqi targets, the report said. In all, as many as 15 militant groups may now be operating in Iraq, officials said. âIraq is a magnet for jihadists just as Afghanistan was,â a senior US official said. âBut the bigger question is whether the leadership is evolving or coordination. So far we havenât seen it.â |