Extremists prey on poor, uneducated to expand, survey respondents affirm

KABUL -- Al-Qaeda systematically exploits poverty-stricken communities and uneducated populations to expand its operations, respondents to a recent Salaam Times survey affirmed.

Nearly 47% of survey respondents cited economic hardship and poor education as the extremist group's primary recruitment enablers.

Of the 3,373 who participated in the online poll, conducted in May, 1,580 said they believe al-Qaeda specifically chooses countries with widespread poverty and limited educational access to establish a foothold.

Weak governmental control was identified by 9% (302 respondents) as enabling al-Qaeda's freedom of operation, while 5.3% (178) said local grievances help the extremist group gain grassroots support.

About 4.7% (157 respondents) indicated the group simply has no other options beyond impoverished nations, while 18.8% (633) cited all these factors as contributing to al-Qaeda's strategic presence in vulnerable regions.

The remaining 15.5% (523 respondents) were unsure, the survey showed.

Calculated strategy

Commenting on the survey results, Kabul-based military analyst Hossein Jafari told Salaam Times that al-Qaeda deliberately maintains conditions of ignorance and deprivation in areas under its control.

The group uses minimal payments to recruit desperate youth, he said.

"Al-Qaeda operates in areas where people suffer from extreme poverty and lack of education," he said. "The selection of these regions is intentional, and this situation benefits the terrorist network."

The group exploits religious sentiments, makes false promises to poor families, and manipulates ethnic tensions to indoctrinate youth, while deliberately depriving communities of education and development, Jafari said.

Through systematic destruction of schools, hospitals, bridges and roads, al-Qaeda has created an atmosphere of fear and instability that perpetuates poverty, said Ghor-based political analyst Mohammad Seddiq Radmanesh.

The group enforces its control through harsh punishments and "a distorted version of Islamic law," brutally suppressing any political or religious opposition, he told Salaam Times.

Hiding in Iran

Meanwhile, al-Qaeda's purported leader Saif al-Adel has established a comfortable life in Iran, in stark contrast with the harsh conditions faced by rank-and-file fighters, according to analysts.

"Saif al-Adel has hidden under the protection of the Iranian regime to save his own life," Herat-based political expert Abdul Qadir Kamel told Salaam Times.

This arrangement has fractured the group, with some factions now refusing to follow al-Adel's commands due to his neglect of the group's basic needs, he said.

The leader's presence in Shia-governed Iran particularly undermines al-Qaeda's ideology, according to Zamary Taheri, another Herat-based political analyst.

"Its fighters have battled Shia communities for years based on this ideological belief," Taheri told Salaam Times. "Many within the al-Qaeda network view the leader’s presence in Iran as a betrayal of its core values."

"As a result, al-Adel's standing among al-Qaeda followers has weakened, and they no longer follow his commands," he added.