Horn Of Africa Is Focus For Al Qaeda Recruitment

The Washington Times reports that experts warn Congress that predatory governments and violence in the Horn of Africa creates a rich source of potential recruits of al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.

The Horn of Africa is becoming a major recruiting ground for al Qaeda and other terrorists as a result of oppressive governments and regional civil strife, a panel of experts told Congress on Thursday.

The United States has good ties with most governments in the region but "the problem is that those governments are in fact enemies of large sections of their populations," Kenneth John Menkhaus, professor of political science at Davidson College, said during a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa and global health.

"Recruitment by al Qaeda or other radical groups is going to be in ideal conditions, where people are angry with repressive, predatory governments that are supported by the United States," Mr. Menkhaus said.

Some analysts link the growth of terrorist groups such as the al Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab that operates in Somalia to U.S. support for the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia in 2006.

Ted Dagne, an African affairs specialist at the Congressional Research Service, said the ouster of the Islamic Courts Union in Somalia at that time created a security vacuum that was quickly filled by radical Islamists.

"Al Qaeda and its allies are much stronger today than they were a few years ago," Mr. Dagne said.

By: Shelldrake