There are scores of websites such as this, offering practical advice on how to join militant groups who will help to smuggle recruits into Iraq.

The Jihadweb online magazine gives instructions on getting physically fit and mentally prepared for battle, telling volunteers that they must take orders without question. Newcomers are told that they cannot expect to become instant heroes but should be ready to do work such as guard duty.

There is also a blunt warning: “Never say that you do not do suicide work, or that you have special conditions in which you can only do a certain work, or that you want to engage the enemy directly without taking watch or night shifts.”

The magazine claims to have helped “hundreds of thousands” of foreigners to slip into Iraq, urging new recruits to be patient and wait their turn to be smuggled across the border. They are also told to keep their intended mission a secret from even their closest friends.

The second half of the guide suggests that the safest way for recruits to avoid getting caught by American troops on the Iraqi border is to journey through Syria, where the Mujahidin will steer them along secret routes. To fool their families, and any inquisitive security officials, these would-be suicide bombers are told to carry a Turkish visa in their passport so that they can claim that they are just passing through Syria.

The guide ends with a suggestion to recruits to carry a selection of Western rock music on their Walkmans and iPods, rather than listening to rousing jihadi speeches, as it will make them seem “less of a threat”.

The websites issue daily reports with the latest intelligence on raids by US-led forces on border crossing points and the new locations where militant groups are helping foreign recruits to slip into Iraq. This practical information is carried alongside claims of responsibility for suicide operations which are increasingly accompanied by gruesome video footage of the attacks.

DEADLY ADVICE

Would-be bombers are told to "make a good and helpful soldier out of yourself before attempting to enter the jihad"

"Fitness is the most important thing in a Mujahidin needs on the fields of battle"

"Your parents should know the reason [by which you are professing to enter Syria] and it is good if you have your passport with an entry visa to Turkey, so you can pretend that you're in transit to Turkey"

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