Al Qaeda is facing an acute shortage of suicide bombers in Iraq. Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari told the Independent that the authorities had realised this after questioning prisoners and intercepting messages. Local Al Qaeda commanders were reportedly heard complaining about the lack of foreigners to carry out suicide missions.
“The shortage of suicide bombers is because Islamic fundamentalists are more interested in Afghanistan and Pakistan these days, the Americans are withdrawing from Iraq and Al Qaeda’s networks have been disrupted by ourselves and the Americans,” said Zebari. “I expect Al Qaeda will pool its remaining resources and make another spectacular attack in Baghdad very soon,” he warned.
Zebari said he was of the opinion that Al Qaeda was finding it difficult to find safe havens in parts of Iraq dominated by the Sunni Arab community. The first suicide bombings started in August 2003 and Al Qaeda was able to attract volunteers for suicide missions in the country following the US invasion.
The use of suicide bombers from outside Iraq played a critical role in destabilising the Iraqi governments that followed the ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Most foreign suicide bombers came from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, Libya, Algeria and Morocco.