De siste to årene har en strøm av frivillige reist fra Europa til Irak for å utkjempe jihad. Det sies at bare fra Storbritannia skal 150 ha reist, sier sikkerhetskilder til Sunday Times.

Antallet er ikke overveldende, men innsatsen til frivillige kan ha store ringvirkninger i miljøene de kommer fra: de kan bli oppfattet som helter og martyrer, som kan inspirere andre til å velge jihad-veien.

Britisk politi stanser stadig folk som de tror er på vei for å slutte seg til jihad. En del blir sendt hjem på tekniske feil og mangeler. Men det kjennes ikke spesielt betryggende å slippe løs potensielle selvmordsbombere i Storbritannia heller.

Senior security sources say leaders of the Iraqi insurgency have set up a «foreign legion» composed entirely of westerners to fight alongside the insurgents in the war against British and American forces. Some are preparing to carry out suicide attacks while others have received basic combat training for attacks on western troops The so-called «British brigade» is said to be operating under the direct command of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Members of the unit are thought to be in the Sunni triangle, a combat zone and Al-Qaeda hotbed west of Baghdad.

The flow of young Muslim men from western Europe to Iraq has increased dramatically in the past two years. The «pipeline» of suspected terrorists is being fuelled by growing resentment about American and British policy and scandals such as the mistreatment of inmates at the Abu Ghraib prison.

A senior security source, confirming that between 120 and 150 Britons had travelled to Iraq, said there was concern that the flow was increasing: «The really worrying thing is that this has become a movement that people believe in. It’s not simply a matter of them joining a terrorist organisation.»
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Zarqawi has boasted on his website about the British recruits who have joined his «foreign legion». One Zarqawi video, with English subtitles, issued last month, shows scenes of excited young recruits in Iraq. The message is «They are fighting; you should be too».

British brigade of Islamists join Al-Qaeda foreign legion in Iraq