Terror groups exploit Iraqi homeless

As the country's economic and security crises drag on, unemployed young Iraqis are finding themselves on the streets and vulnerable to militant groups that use them to gather information and even commit acts of terror.
An Iraqi homeless person sleeps inside a street tunnel in central Baghdad, 14 November 2007. A roadside bomb attack targeting a US patrol near Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone killed today two Iraqi civilians and wounded three, security officials said. AFP PHOTO/SABAH ARAR (Photo credit should read SABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images)
A homeless Iraqi sleeps inside a street tunnel in central Baghdad, Nov. 14, 2007. - SABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images
Sara Alqaher_color.jpg
Sara al-Qaher
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BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Baghdad Provincial Council issued a warning Sept. 15 about street beggars being used by gangs to commit crimes and armed groups to carry out terrorist operations. The problem is not limited to Baghdad, and the council in Karbala announced Oct. 7 that it is coordinating with security agencies to get beggars off the holy city’s streets.

Begging has spread in the streets of Baghdad and the southern cities, particularly among teenagers of both genders. The phenomenon was first brought about by the wave of displacement that started when the Islamic State took control of Iraqi territories in June 2014, and worsened by the harsh economic situation in the country.

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