[Washington Post] Craig Whitlock - U.S. and European counterterrorism officials say a rising number of Western recruits - including Americans - are traveling to Afghanistan and Pakistan to attend paramilitary training camps. The flow of recruits has continued unabated despite an intensified campaign over the past year by the CIA to eliminate al-Qaeda and Taliban commanders in drone missile attacks. Since January, at least 30 recruits from Germany have traveled to Pakistan for training, according to German security sources. In August, Pakistani officials arrested 12 foreigners headed to North Waziristan where many of the camps are located. Among those arrested were four Swedes, including Mehdi Ghezali, a former inmate of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo. Three Belgians and a French citizen are facing trial in their home countries after they were arrested upon their return from Pakistani camps last year.
2009-10-20 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive