Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Iraq Detainees Swell by 50%

Most are Sunni, and many say they're motivated by lack of jobs, not jihadism

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 25, 2007 7:00 AM CDT
Email

(Newser) – Since the January troop surge the number of detainees held by the American military in Iraq has increased by 50%, reports the New York Times. The overwhelming majority of those in custody, nearly 85%, are Sunni. And while Jihadism drives some Iraqi insurgents to plant roadside bombs, for many there is a far less ideological motivation: money.

With work increasingly hard to come by, illiterate cash-strapped young Sunnis have turned to jihadism without religious motivation. "The primary motivator is economic," says one Naval officer. "They're angry men because they don't have jobs." The military claims that the rise in detainees comes from American operations in places where they could not reach before the surge, plus greater Iraqi cooperation.

A detainee captured during an operation in search of possible al-Qaida suspects stands in front of the U.S. army's armored vehicle in the Amariyah neighborhood of west Baghdad, Iraq on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
A detainee captured during an operation in search of possible al-Qaida suspects stands in front of the U.S. army's armored vehicle in the Amariyah neighborhood of west Baghdad, Iraq on Thursday, Aug....   (Associated Press)
U.S. Army soldiers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division handles a detainee that was captured during an operation in search of possible al-Qaida suspects in the Amariyah neighborhood of west Baghdad, Iraq on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
U.S. Army soldiers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division handles a detainee that was captured during an operation in search of possible al-Qaida suspects...   (Associated Press)
An Iraqi prisoner speaks to Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf while he escorts the news media on a tour of a detention center in the Kazimiyah neighborhood of north Baghdad, Iraq on Tuesday, July 17, 2007. This was a major prison during the rule of Saddam Hussein and...
An Iraqi prisoner speaks to Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf while he escorts the news media on a tour of a detention center in the Kazimiyah neighborhood of north Baghdad, Iraq...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

George Lakoff on the term "surge"
Rockridge Institute

 
Iraq • Sunni • insurgents • troop surge • jihad • detainee

More Newser Stories

Iraq Blasts Toll Rises to 500

Morgue Stats Show Surge in Iraqi Killings

Iraqis Losing Love for al-Qaeda

Iraqi Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 33

US Sees Huge Gains in Baghdad Security
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne