By The Associated Press – July 7, 2008

Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan are among “special interest” countries identified by the U.S. government as sponsors or supporters of terrorism.

Since 2003, the number of East Africans caught trying to enter the U.S. illegally has gone up — from 22 in 2003 to 125 in 2007. So far in 2008, 159 have been caught — 138 of them from Eritrea.

Most of the people from these countries who illegally come to the U.S. are looking for a better life and do not have terrorist interests, according to U.S. authorities.

A few facts about the countries:

_ ERITREA: The government of Eritrea discourages migration, so many people who want to leave for better economic opportunities end up finding illegal ways of getting out and entering the U.S. or Europe. Since 2001, Eritrea has clamped down on political dissent, leading senior officials and journalists to flee the country, too. The government also has compulsory national service, and many young people seek to flee the country in order to avoid being conscripted.

_ DJIBOUTI: The U.S. has more than 1,200 troops stationed in Djibouti, where an anti-terrorism task force for the Horn of Africa is based.

_ SUDAN: The country was once a haven for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden before he fled to Afghanistan and then Pakistan.

_ SOMALIA: The country is etched in Americans’ minds by the 1993 incident in which Islamic militants with al-Qaida ties dragged 18 U.S. troops through the streets of Mogadishu after a Black Hawk helicopter was shot down during a U.N.-led peacekeeping mission.