Terrorist Networks Lure Young Moroccans to War in Far-Off Iraq

DNA tests show that some of the suicide bombers in Iraq came from other countries, willing to cross a continent to die for a cause. Journalist Craig Whitlock describes in the “Washington Post” how Al Qaeda recruits young males in Morocco, including college students and one young man who left a wife and infant. Recruiters for extremists target young men who are concerned about matters of “international justice,” explained one analyst. For now, the number of foreign fighters in Iraq who work for militias, insurgents or Al Qaeda is low. The Iraq war has also united many militant groups that once operated regionally and independently, and as a result, attacks and investigations are on the rise throughout North Africa. Mohamed Darif, political science professor at Hassan II-Mohammedia University in Morocco, suggests that the US and Al Qaeda share one goal – the ability to declare victory in Iraq. – YaleGlobal