IRAQ: Islamic Gangsters Become HeroesAl Qaeda, and other Islamic terror groups, have largely turned into criminal gangs. They largely subsist on extortion, kidnapping and robbery. These groups still carry out suicide bombings, and other attacks on the government, but these Sunni Arab extremists have become gangsters, and heroic ones at that. The Sunni Arab community, who were once 20 percent of the population (they are now more like 15 percent) long had access to 80 percent of the oil income. Now, the Sunni Arabs get more like ten percent, and the loss of affluence and power is still felt. The Sunni Arabs fight back, and for the many young, unemployed Sunni Arab men, who once had a lock on good government jobs, this is inspiring. […]
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IRAQ: Islamic Gangsters Become HeroesFrom Strategypage.com (SP)