Somalia

British MP says UK is recruitment ground for Somali militants

Article published on the 2009-09-15 Latest update 2009-09-15 12:56 TU

A militant firing a gun in Mogadishu, July 2009
(Photo :AFP)

Patrick Mercer, a British Member of Parliament has told RFI that a “steady stream of young men” are going to Somalia to fight for al-Shebab or train as militants. Mercer, who is chairman of the counterterrorism subcommittee said that “recruiters are active” within Great Britain.

“Since British and Allied military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have been conducted, there seems to be a steady stream of young men who are going to Somalia now, apparently for subversive reasons,” Mercer told RFI.

“I would say there are significant numbers going there,” he added. “Subversive organisations are recruiting inside Great Britain, their recruiters are active.”

But, the former army officer declined to give details of any of the recruiters, although he did describe the likely candidates to be of impressionable age and suitable for the military.

Somalia has increasingly become a training ground for radical Muslims, and Mercer is concerned that intelligence organisations are finding that people with no direct family connections are going to the east African country.

“As far as I know there are a number of them who do not have Somali connections,” said Mercer.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday the al-Shebab group promised to strike back against the US following an operation which killed an Al-Qaeda regional leader.

A top al-Shebab leader told the AFP news agency that, “Muslims will retaliate against this unprovoked attack.”

According to US officials, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a Kenyan citizen wanted in connection with attacks in Mombasa in 2002, was killed in southern Somalia on Monday.