| In the past 18 months, 20 young Somali men have disappeared from Minneapolis, Minnesota -- only to re-emerge in Somalia as part of an al-Qaida-backed militia. Some claimed they didn't know they were being recruited by the al-Shabab militia when they accepted a free ticket to Somalia. Their families and the community were shocked to learn their whereabouts. In his first ever visit to the U.S., Somalia's president asked the Minneapolis community to beware of radical Islamic recruiters.
In a speech to the Minnesota diaspora this week, Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed warned the community to be on the lookout for radical Islamic groups who want to recruit young people to fight in Somalia. "I am deeply disturbed to hear a group of young Somalis have been brainwashed by evil-minded individuals to go back to Somalia and engage in violence years after their parents were forced to flee fighting," Sharif said. Youth recruited in place of worship In the past 18 months, 20 young Somali American men have left Minneapolis to join al-Shabab, which means "the youth." The militia is fighting against the U.N.-backed transitional Somali government. | ||
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