New Study Finds Islamic Terrorist Group Recruits Members With '$50 And A Cell Phone'

A recent security report has found that a Somalia-based terrorist organization often recruits members by offering them $50 and a cell phone.

A study and report published by the Institute of Security Studies finds the Islamic terrorist group al-Shabab is able to recruit young, poor men to its organization using these small monetary and materialistic gifts. Those behind the study reportedly interviewed former recruits of the organization to determine the tactics used by al-Shabab leaders to find new members.

The report also found that of those questioned for the study, 100 percent of the former recruits had little to no education. Also, 98 percent felt Islam was under attack and that the Somali government was only interested in protecting its own interests.

One of the former recruits who joined the group as a teenager told the researchers that "When you join, they give you a mobile phone and every month you get $50."

"This is what pushes a lot of my friends to join," he added.

The study also found that the young men who joined the group were interested in establishing a communal identity related to their Islamic religion, and had no interest in establishing a national identity related to their Somali citizenship.

The recent release of this study comes after President Barack Obama announced the U.S. would be undergoing a comprehensive strategy, both domestically and abroad, to stop youths from joining terrorist organizations. Groups like al-Shabab in Somalia and the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq are gaining power, and the U.S. has said it is important to ensure young people are not showing signs of extremism that would make it easier for them to join the groups.