Juan Cole: May 16, 2005 Part 4

Saudi Jihadis Return Disappointed

From al-Hayat of May 14 via BBC World Monitoring:

' Al-Hayat has learnt that two Saudi brothers who went to Iraq across the Syrian border for "jihad" against the occupation returned without taking part in any fighting after a bitter experience.

Sources told Al-Hayat that the two young men followed news of the resistance against the occupation since the former Iraqi regime's downfall and the Al-Fallujah confrontation inflamed their zeal and they decided to go to Iraq. Their relatives intervened to persuade them not to carry out what they intended until everyone became convinced they would not go. But, according to the sources, the two brothers sneaked into Iraq and were able to contact a network which receives the fighters on the Iraqi-Syrian border. The two met a few days later the fighters' "emir" [commander] at the border and asked him to take them to Al-Fallujah. But he refused, claiming that the road was difficult and full of dangers.