(Christian Science Monitor) Faye Bowers - The new fighters are probably not as dynamic and swashbuckling as their former counterparts, jihadists who came of age during the early 1980s fighting the Soviets alongside bin Laden in Afghanistan. The younger acolytes, though, are believed to be at least as religiously zealous, better educated, more computer savvy, and better organization builders. "It shows al-Qaeda's enduring attraction," says Bruce Hoffman, a terror expert at the RAND Corp. in Washington. "Even despite the loss of Afghanistan, the call of jihad remains a compelling voice to this new generation of recruits populating the ranks."
2004-02-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive