Al-Sharq Al-Awsatreported that "Sources close to the [Islamist] fundamentalist movement in London said that 400 'Arab-Afghans' crossed the Iranian and Turkish borders into Iraq ten days ago [third week in February]. These informed sources told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat in a phone conversation, that the 'Arab-Afghans'… may participate in suicide missions against the American forces when the land war starts and that some Al-Qa'ida leaders were among those who arrived in northern Iraq…"