Impoverished women vulnerable to extremists

Destitute women facing bleak futures in Anbar may fall prey to promises of money, revenge and martyrdom from extremists intent on destabilizing Iraq, activists warn. A sharp increase in war widows, divorcees and women deserted by their husbands, along with diminishing government support, has left more than 100,000 women in Anbar province without salaries or financial aid, according to a new report. Many of the women have accepted lowly jobs to feed their families, local NGOs said, while most harbor deep resentment for those they believe to be responsible for the loss of their husbands or loved ones. Provincial officials and humanitarian groups now warn that desperate women may commit terrorist acts to escape lives of destitution and shame.