Friday, February 01, 2008

Al Qaida in Iraq having recruitment problems?

I'm sure everyone's heard by now that two allegedly mentally disabled women were strapped with explosives and used as bombs, purportedly by remote control. Assuming evidence will back up those claims, a possible inference is that foreign militants are now harder to come by. From the Washington Post:

Based on the Sinjar records, U.S. military officials in Iraq said they now think that nine out of 10 suicide bombers have been foreigners, compared with earlier estimates of 75 percent. Similarly, they assess that 90 percent of foreign fighters entering Iraq during the one-year period ending in August came via Syria, a greater proportion than previously believed.

Given those figures, it seems reasonable to conclude that the domestic pool of potential suicide bombers may be tapped out. If the quantity of suicide bombers can't be sustained, there will definitely be incentive to maximize the psychological impact of each suicide bomber. Another alternative would be to coerce victims into suicide bombing.