THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: More than 80 French nationals are training with the Pakistan Taliban in the lawless north-west of the country, according to a senior militant commander, raising fears of a renewed campaign against Western targets.
Mohammed Merah, the man believed to have killed seven people in south-western France, was trained by al-Qaeda in Waziristan on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, according to the French prosecutor.
His visits, thought to be in 2010 and 2011, highlight once again Pakistan’s reputation for Jihadi tourism and raise the chilling prospect of more attacks.
A senior commander with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an al-Qaeda affiliated group, in its stronghold of North Waziristan said militants were following the unfolding events in France.
“There are more than 80 persons belonging to France, mostly in North Waziristan but some in South Waziristan. Five of them left from here in January,” he told The Daily Telegraph on condition of anonymity.
He said he could not disclose their destinations or plans, but that the TTP would claim responsibility when the time came. » | Rob Crilly, and Nazar Ul Islam in Islamabad, and Ben Farmer in Kabul | Wednesday, March 21, 2012
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