Somalia's Al Shabab Recruits 'Holy Warriors' with $400 Bonus

Somalia's Al Shabab Recruits 'Holy Warriors' with $400 Bonus
War-torn and Impoverished, Some Somali Youths Join Extremist Group to Make Money
By Scott Baldauf and Ali Mohamed | ABC News

Excerpts:

When Dahir Abdi joined the Somali extremist group Al-Shabab early last year, his motive had more to do with money than with God....

So when a recruiter from Al Shabab (whose name means "the youth" in Arabic) gave him $400 and the promise of a regular salary, Dahir joined willingly. He knew that even if he didn't survive the war, his family would have a better chance to ward off starvation....

When the government of Somalia launches its long-threatened offensive against Al Shabab, it will be young men like Dahir who will be in the front lines, recruited by unscrupulous businessmen, trained by Pakistani, Afghan and Arab experts, and guided by a harsh ideology of jihad promulgated by Al Qaeda and its Islamist followers....

Yet as long as Somalia remains war-torn, and as long as Somalis remain poor, Shabab will be able to find willing fighters, Mr. Sharif says. "Somalis have a lot of children, and the school system is destroyed, so for many poor families, the madrassas (religious schools) are the only option where children can get at least a basic education. That is where Shabab goes to recruit."

Virtually unknown four years ago, Al Shabab has rapidly grown to become the strongest military force in Somalia, imposing its own selective interpretation of Islamic law on the southern half of Somalia that is under its control. Al Shabab troops in the very heart of Mogadishu prevent the weak Western-backed government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed from extending its authority beyond a few square blocks of the capital, along with the airport and Mogadishu's seaport. Read more.