Missing Somalis in Minneapolis

Approximately two dozen Somali boys (mostly teenagers) have gone missing in Minneapolis. It has been confirmed that they were recruited by terrorist groups. All of the men were from families with single mom's and are told that they must prove their dedication to Somalia and Islam. Once they get to the camps, they are threatened about being forced into Guantanamo by Americans. It is unclear how they are recruited. Somalis have had a difficult time assimilating into the United States. From Talk of the Nation:

The FBI believes the young men were radicalized and recruited here in the U.S., then sent to Somalia. There's concern they'll return to the U.S. to carry out attacks. It started about two years ago. Somali-American youth in Minneapolis would suddenly go missing, telling their parents they were going out with friends or just off to do some laundry — only to board planes to Africa. About 20 young men have disappeared so far, and they are believed to have traveled to Somalia to join a terrorist group.

American counterterrorism officials' worst fears are personified by a young Somali-American named Shirwa Ahmed. He left Minneapolis about 18 months ago to join an Islamic militia in Somalia called al-Shabab. Then, last October, he drove a car full of explosives into a crowd in Somaliland, killing 27 people.

The disappearance of these Midwestern Somali-Americans comes at a time when counterterrorism officials are watching the growing alliance between al-Shabab and al-Qaida. One of the questions at Wednesday's hearing was whether the young men were actually being recruited by the Somali terror group.

A security risk because the young men coming from the States arrive in the middle of Somalia's civil war armed with little more than their faith and a desire to help.