Revealed: US drone attack in Pakistan killed German ‘security contact’

[Umair Nawaz]

A German national died in a US drone strike in Pakistan, a report revealed on Monday. The 27-year-old convert to Islam claimed to have close links with German authorities and even to be in contact with security officials.

The strike occurred on February 16, 2012, some 35 km south of the Pakistani town of Mir Ali, which itself is about 30 kilometers south east of the Afghan border.

However, it is only now that details have begun to emerge. The man in question has been identified as Patrick K., from Hesse, central Germany, according to the German paper, Süddeutsche Zeitung and the NDR broadcaster.

An entry at a jihadist forum, which also produced video evidence of his death, stated the man's full name was Patrick Klaus. Two separate German-language video messages (Part one; Part two) posted by German Islamists show Klaus smiling at the camera as he calls on his compatriots with the same beliefs to: "Follow me".

The German national apparently switched to Islam at the age of 14, reports Die Welt. In 2011, he moved to Waziristan, a mountainous region near Afghanistan’s border back in 2011 to live with his wife, who is thought to be a Pakistani national.

The reports state that at the time of the strike Patrick K. had been travelling in a pick-up truck alongside several Uzbek fighters. They were heading in the direction of South Waziristan when a MQ-1 Predator drone missile hit the vehicle. Nine others died alongside Patrick K., and the vehicle itself was left completely burnt out.

“He says that he was in close contact with an official from the BKA [Federal Criminal Police Office] in Hesse, who allegedly recruited him successfully,” claims the SZ paper, a link to which can be found in German.

It is also thought that an official from the domestic intelligence agency – the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution – had made efforts to communicate with him.

Patrick Klaus



Patrick K. had previously been arrested in Bonn in 2011, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung, in the run-up to the Social Democrat’s German Festival to celebrate 150 years of the party’s existence. Security services were on high alert and feared a possible attack. However, suspicions about him were quickly dispelled and the possibility of an attack was dismissed.

Patrick K. travelled to Pakistan a few days afterwards, according to the paper, and subsequently lost contact with the officials that he had allegedly been in contact with. Whilst in Pakistan, he was in contact with the notorious Chouka brothers – Yassin and Mounir Chouka – two German militants of Moroccan descent, who are part of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, deemed a terrorist organization by the UK, US and Russia.

At the time of the 2012 attack’s occurrence, there had been over 260 US drone strikes in the previous eight years. A week prior to the strike, several senior leaders were also killed in an attack in North Waziristan. The area is known for high militant activity, and the US government deems the strikes a necessary and carefully considered part of the struggle against militant groups in its "War against Terror" operation.

Pakistan has repeatedly condemned US drone strikes in the country, with a high court ruling in May last year that strikes in the tribal belt should be considered war crimes. Demonstrations against strikes have also taken place, with a former cricket star-turned politician, Imran Khan, leading a road block demonstration in November against the practice, of which he is a harsh critic.

Revealed: US drone attack in Pakistan killed German ‘security contact’ — RT News

interesting......

 

[Chak Bamu]

We need to make a policy for foreign militants. They are the most implacable foes of any peace effort, simply because they know peace would mean almost certain death for them. They need to be managed somehow. A death sentence is a great motivation for spreading murder and mayhem.

GOP needs to engage with Tajik, Uzbek, and Russian governments to allow their nationals to go back so that they can be re-integrated in their respective societies.

Islamists ought be be given a chance to participate in electoral politics. This is the safest way of dealing with them. There needs to be a bit of freedom in order to manage dissent that threatens to blow into insurgency.

 

[Bratva]

We need to make a policy for foreign militants. They are the most implacable foes of any peace effort, simply because they know peace would mean almost certain death for them. They need to be managed somehow. A death sentence is a great motivation for spreading murder and mayhem.

GOP needs to engage with Tajik, Uzbek, and Russian governments to allow their nationals to go back so that they can be re-integrated in their respective societies.

Islamists ought be be given a chance to participate in electoral politics. This is the safest way of dealing with them. There needs to be a bit of freedom in order to manage dissent that threatens to blow into insurgency.

They are already pushing their own terrorists in mountainous areas by doing operations against them. If that could be occurred, GOP would have done it long ago. What we need is engage with our own tribes to expel foreigners, like we did it with Mullah Nazir Co-operation who did fought/expelled/pushed Uzbeks to other agencies

 

[Chak Bamu]

They are already pushing their own terrorists in mountainous areas by doing operations against them. If that could be occurred, GOP would have done it long ago. What we need is engage with our own tribes to expel foreigners, like we did it with Mullah Nazir Co-operation who did fought/expelled/pushed Uzbeks to other agencies

The line between militant and terrorist is very fine and easily crossed under duress. Pushing people into mountains is a strategy for turning Islamists into terrorists, who would then flee to any place where they could find safe havens. Pakistan's tribal areas were just such safe havens. Now that these people are here, they have nowhere to go. They would rather find glory in death (as they see it) than try to have a 'normal' life.

Authoritarianism & Repression in Central Asia, then, is one of the contributing factors to the ongoing terrorism in Pakistan. The bloodiest attacks are launched by these people who have no hope of ever having a normal life. I wish there could be some way of re-integrating them into society. That is the only way they could be dealt with peacefully. While some of them must necessarily be radicalized beyond redemption, many among them might wish for a peaceful life.

Pushing people into mountains, or by contracting Tribals to get rid of these people seems to be a policy of "out of sight, out of mind". I think such is an incomplete strategy.

 

[Bratva]

The line between militant and terrorist is very fine and easily crossed under duress. Pushing people into mountains is a strategy for turning Islamists into terrorists, who would then flee to any place where they could find safe havens. Pakistan's tribal areas were just such safe havens. Now that these people are here, they have nowhere to go. They would rather find glory in death (as they see it) than try to have a 'normal' life.

Authoritarianism & Repression in Central Asia, then, is one of the contributing factors to the ongoing terrorism in Pakistan. The bloodiest attacks are launched by these people who have no hope of ever having a normal life. I wish there could be some way of re-integrating them into society. That is the only way they could be dealt with peacefully. While some of them must necessarily be radicalized beyond redemption, many among them might wish for a peaceful life.

Pushing people into mountains, or by contracting Tribals to get rid of these people seems to be a policy of "out of sight, out of mind". I think such is an incomplete strategy.

Bamu sahab, now we are talking economic aspect of this WoT. To integrate them back in to society, opening learning centers so they can acquire skills and generating job opportunities for them and a sustained income so they don't revert back to their old life is near to impossible for "Poor countries" like us where 400-500 Billion Rs is wasted in corruption. As per the reports, a TTP foot soldier gets 20-30 K per month stipend. While a fresh graduate out of engineering university gets 16-20 K salary.

A sincere establishment is required to steer them back to life which even after 11 years of war, we are unable to get. You see, Sawat model of integrating is never replicated in bajaur or any other agency/area area cleared by Army. Why because It's army or foreign donors only who have put money into Sawat model. Civilian ineptness does make matters worse.