Islamist cash flow problem in Somalia

NY Times:

The Shabab, Somalia’s most fearsome Islamist group, the one leading a guerrilla war against the weak transitional government, may be running into a problem with its cash flow.

In the past week, Shabab rebels have seized two French security advisers originally captured by a different band of Somalian gunmen, and now they are widely suspected of another kidnapping on Saturday morning along the Kenya-Somalia border.

“They need money,” said one Western diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing diplomatic protocol. “It’s a fact.”

Another fact: kidnapping is one of the few money-making industries left in shattered Somalia.

According to a new posting on a Somalian insurgent Web site, the Shabab will soon try the Frenchmen in an Islamic court. And though the Shabab’s brand of justice often involves amputations and even beheadings, the Web site said that in this case, commanders were considering a “fine,” a signal that they may be after money more than blood.

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I have seen reports of similar cash flow problems by the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It suggest that terrorist financing is suffering a severe recession. It would be ironic that they would lose their own financing as the West undergoes its recession. Could it be that the source of their funds depended on business with the US and Europe?