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15 November 2024

40 Americans join Al Qaeda-linked group

Published
By AP

The chairman of the House Homeland Security committee says more than 40 Americans have been recruited by Al Qaeda-linked groups in Somalia and have gone to the war-torn country to fight.

US counterterrorism officials have not confirmed the high numbers of Americans joining the Somali organisation, Al Shabab. The government has said at least 21 Americans are believed to have travelled to Somalia to join the group, which began as a push to expel Ethiopian soldiers. Al Shabab has expanded focus over the years, and it has aligned itself with other anti-Western groups.

New York Republican Rep. Peter King's findings are based on his committee's investigation into the threat, which he plans to address on Wednesday during his third hearing on Muslim radicalisation in the US.