"Bye, thanks for coming!" Al Qaeda. Iraq. 5 September 2010

Uncle Sam, carrying a pack laden with sleeping bag and weapons of various sorts, looks bewildered as an Al Qaeda fighter wearing a balaclava, bids him farewell and thanks him. In front of them is a battered roadsign reading 'Iraq' and behind them are cities in ruins. Refers to fears that Al-Qaida is attempting to make a comeback in Iraq; two key US-backed militia leaders have told the Guardian that al-Qaida leaders were exploiting the imminent departure of US fighting troops to ramp up a membership drive, in an attempt to show that they are still a powerful force in the country after seven years of war. After the American August 31 end of combat deadline A Qaeda will entice scores of former Sunni allies to rejoin the terrorist group by paying them more than the monthly salary they currently receive from the government, two key US-backed militia leaders have told the Guardian. They said al-Qaida leaders were exploiting the imminent departure of US fighting troops to ramp up a membership drive, in an attempt to show that they are still a powerful force in the country after seven years of war.

Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).