TerrorismRecord of dissuading young Somalis in Minnesota from joining terror groups mixed
For the past decade, the Somali population in Minnesota has been a recruitment hub for al-Qaeda linked terrorist group, al-Shabaab. Law enforcement officials, counterterrorism units, and community leaders have made major strides in deterring young Somali men and women from traveling abroad to join the group in Somalia or Ethiopia. The recent surge of the Islamic State (IS) militant group, however, has renewed recruitment efforts targeting Somali immigrants in America.
Minneapolis' "Little Mogadishu" // Source: wikimapia.org
For the past decade, the Somali population in Minnesota has been a recruitment hub for al-Qaeda linked terrorist group, al-Shabaab. Law enforcement officials, counterterrorism units, and community leaders have made major strides in deterring young Somali men and women from traveling abroad to join the group in Somalia or Ethiopia. Additionally, recent gains made by African Union troops in Mogadishu have weakened al-Shabaab’s attractiveness to would-be recruits. The recent surge of the Islamic State (IS) militant group, however, has renewed recruitment efforts targeting Somali immigrants in America.
The New York Times reports that Somali community leaders are worried that they may be losing a battle to dissuade young Muslims from joining IS. Some families have reported that their children have vanished in recent months. “We need to open our eyes,” said Ahmed Hirsi, a banker who has led youth groups in the Twin Cities. “This is not going to stop.” IS and al-Shabaab symbolize refuge for many young Somalis in the United States who live in poverty with little or no education, and struggle with news reports of war in Somalia. “They just wanted to be a part of something,” said Hatim Bilal, a friend of two American-born Islamist militant recruits who traveled from Minnesota to join IS and al-Shabaab.
Counterterrorism officials report that Troy Kastigar joined Islamist militants in Somalia in late 2008, and Douglas McAuthur McCain joined IS this past June. “I’m with the brothers now,” McCain wrote on Twitter. Both men are now dead, but investigators are looking into how the Minnesota residents came to join militant groups. “Troy and Doug fit together in some ways,” Kastigar’s mother, Julie Boada, said. “They’re both converted Muslims. They both have had struggles.” She added, “They’re connected through that.”
Supervisory Special Agent E. K. Wilson of the FBI’s field office in Minneapolis believes jihadi propaganda found on the Internet is the primary recruiting tool used to persuade young Muslims to join IS and al-Shabaab. “It has made the radicalization process change over time,” he told Voice of America. “It has created more opportunities for self-radicalization. There’s a lot of material on the Internet.”
“I don’t believe the recruiting thing is going on in Minnesota or the United States. Actually the recruiting is coming from the YouTube,” added Goth Ali, a friend of Abdirahmaan Muhumed, a Somali American believed to have been killed while fighting for the Islamic State.
