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Jihadis flock to Pakistan from more diverse backgrounds

A.Rafay

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PESHAWAR: Despite the fact that new battlegrounds have sprung up in Africa and the Middle East, the number of foreign militant recruits smuggled into the north-western tribal belt of the country is increasing and they now come from more diverse countries.
As Washington and Nato prepare to end their combat mission in Afghanistan, the Taliban say their foreign allies are drawn to other conflicts, despite their support networks in a region outside direct government control.
“Al Qaeda is shifting its focus to Syria, Libya, Iraq or Mali,” one member of the Afghan Taliban told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Local officials estimate the number of Arab fighters has fallen by more than a half or two-thirds in the last 10 years.
In the last two years, some al Qaeda Arabs left to take part in the civil war in Syria and the uprising in Libya. Others migrated to Iraq in 2003, and some to Somalia and Yemen.
But Saifullah Khan Mehsud, executive director of the Fata Research Centre, says uprisings in the Middle East have had a minimal effect on the Arab presence in Pakistan.
“Arab fighters are not leaving in big numbers,” he told AFP. “They have been there for 30 years and it continues,” he added.
The number of fighters from other countries is also rising, say witnesses in Miramshah, North Waziristan — the district with the largest concentration of Taliban and al Qaeda fighters.
More nationalities, same problems
Most of the current crop are Turkmens and Uzbeks, numbering between 1,000 and 3,000 fighters, according to officials, who have fled authoritarian secular regimes in their home countries to set up their own groups.
However, US officials say covert drone strikes have played a huge role in destroying training camps and disrupting al Qaeda in Pakistan.
Although North Waziristan locals say the strikes kill more Taliban than al Qaeda operatives, they have condemned foreign fighters to a life underground.
“They are low profile, they dress like locals, they avoid big meetings and above all they move all the time,” a journalist told AFP.
Mehsud says that foreigners are coming from a more diverse number of countries than in years past.
“A few months ago, we even welcomed some (two or three) people from Fiji for the first time!” says the Taliban member who spoke with AFP.
“There are more nationalities because they face the same problems. They tell us that they feel left aside by capitalism and discriminated by unfair laws, like the Swiss one on minarets or the French one on hijabs,” he adds.
However, local and Western officials say the number of Western militants have fallen to dozens compared to the several hundreds a few years ago.

Jihadis flock to Pakistan from more diverse backgrounds – The Express Tribune
 
So drone attacks have scared them in coming to Pakistan which can only be a good thing
 
Today I met a person who was lured into Afghan Jihad personally by an advisory OBL with broken promises and wasted youth! Sure as hell he regrets every decision he ever made in this regards! They were promised Russian houris and land in Afghanistan upon victory of the righteous!
 
Hardly- come 2014 where do you think these guys will turn their attention?


Doubt USA is going to stop their drone attacks I believe it will continue to safeguard cities in the west from these jihadis.
 
Doubt USA is going to stop their drone attacks I believe it will continue to safeguard cities in the west from these jihadis.

I'm talking about India, specifically Kashmir. Drone attacks have limited success in reducing the terrorists menace, unless the fundamentals change these drone attacks are merely treating the symptoms and not the cause and adding fuel to the fire. There is a reason the GoP/PA maintains strong links with these terrorists to this day- one day they belive they will come in handy once again against India.
 
Only other day there was a thread about Pakistan being the hub of global Jihadis. Unless this is contained with all seriousness, Pakistan will be a free for all. There is nothing stopping these Jihadis from descending down from the Afghan borders to the inner cities.
 
I'm talking about India, specifically Kashmir. Drone attacks have limited success in reducing the terrorists menace, unless the fundamentals change these drone attacks are merely treating the symptoms and not the cause and adding fuel to the fire. There is a reason the GoP/PA maintains strong links with these terrorists to this day- one day they belive they will come in handy once again against India.


I believe drones have worked the number of foreign fundies have decreased dramatically to just a few members from the peak of hundreds but yes 2014 is the key date, they have already stated they have a eye on Kashmir when NATO troops leaves. From our view we should start arming drones and target terror camps across the LOC if we do not take a pro-active approach we will suffer for it with the blood of our jawans.

Only other day there was a thread about Pakistan being the hub of global Jihadis. Unless this is contained with all seriousness, Pakistan will be a free for all. There is nothing stopping these Jihadis from descending down from the Afghan borders to the inner cities.


Yeah I read the same article it was on Dawn



A Canadian, who uses the name Mohammad Ibrahim, told AFP that he had been in Pakistan for three years but was now preparing to leave to wage jihad at home.

“Foreigners are now afraid to come to Pakistan because of the drone strikes,” he says, putting the number of his compatriots at 14, compared to “60 to 85 three years ago”.

A mechanical engineer by training, he says he works in “technical and logistic affairs” but does not elaborate further.

“I often met British, Spanish, Italians, Algerians and Germans. But now…our movements have been limited because of the drone strikes,” he says.
 
Hardly- come 2014 where do you think these guys will turn their attention?
That's what I fear. We may face increased incursion at our borders post 2014.

To make things worse, drone strikes may reduce post 2014 which will led to mushroom growth in this region while West focuses on other parts of the world.
 
That's what I fear. We may face increased incursion at our borders post 2014.

To make things worse, drone strikes may reduce post 2014 which will led to mushroom growth in this region while West focuses on other parts of the world.


Drone attacks are vital to safeguard cities in the west the USA is not going anywhere even after 2014 armed drones will still play a big role in the AF-Pak region.



http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2013/01/panetta-drones-to-be-continuing-tool-of-us-154829.html



WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Monday that the Obama administration will continue to use drone strikes as part of its counter-terrorism efforts, despite controversy over their use. He added, however, that he envisions a time when the program is no longer in use.

Panetta's comments came in an interview with ABC's Martha Raddatz. When asked if the 2014 pullout of troops in Afghanistan meant that the United States would increase its dependence on unmanned armed drones, Panetta said that the U.S. must use "what operational skills we have to go after those that would attack our country."

"I think that's reality," said Panetta. "We've done that in Pakistan. We're doing it in Yemen and elsewhere. And I think the reality is it's going to be a continuing tool of national defense in the future."
 
That's what I fear. We may face increased incursion at our borders post 2014.

To make things worse, drone strikes may reduce post 2014 which will led to mushroom growth in this region while West focuses on other parts of the world.

Atleast one thing is for sure... we won't try & waste our time bifurcating good & bad terrorists. Everyone will be classed as one & dealt uniformly.
 
Atleast one thing is for sure... we won't try & waste our time bifurcating good & bad terrorists. Everyone will be classed as one & dealt uniformly.
This will result in increased expenditure on borders and will affect security situation at J&K which is advancing towards normalcy and economic growth.

I am not counting human losses which are more important. We already have internal problems to deal with.

Seems like their agenda is "Hum to dubenge, tumhein bhi le dubenge Sanam" :hitwall:
 

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