Inside Pakistan's Terror Training Camps

The threat of international terrorism isn't going away anytime soon, and Pakistan continues to be an epicenter of the al Qaeda terror training camps, despite the ongoing US efforts to target mid and high level al Qaeda terror masters on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border with UAV airstrikes.

The Telegraph reports that Pakistani forces have come across an al Qaeda terror training camp consisting primarily of Germans who converted to Islam and who intend to fight under the banner of al Qaeda. The report calls this a village, but it's truly a rallying point for al Qaeda's foreign fighters in Pakistan:

The village, in Taliban-controlled Waziristan, is run by the notorious al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which plots raids on Nato forces in Afghanistan.

A recruitment video presents life in the village as a desirable lifestyle choice with schools, hospitals, pharmacies and day care centres, all at a safe distance from the front.

In the video, the presenter, "Abu Adam", the public face of the group in Germany, points his finger and asks: "Doesn't it appeal to you? We warmly invite you to join us!"

According to German foreign ministry officials a growing number of German families, many of North African descent, have taken up the offer and travelled to Waziristan where supporters say converts make up some of the insurgents' most dedicated fighters.

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which has a foothold in several German cities, has capitalised on growing concern over the rising profile of German forces in Afghanistan. Their role has become increasingly controversial in Germany in recent weeks after dozens of civilians were killed in an air strike ordered by German officers.

Last night a foreign ministry spokesman told The Daily Telegraph they were now negotiating with Pakistani authorities for the release of six Germans, including "Adrian M", a white Muslim convert, his Eritrean wife and their four year old daughter, who were arrested as they were making their way to the "German village". They are particularly concerned about the welfare of the child.

They are being held in custody in Peshawar after their arrest in May shortly when they crossed the border from Iran. They are understood to have left Germany in March this year.

This news also shows the ongoing efforts of al Qaeda to recruit jihadis from Europe and elsewhere to fight in the jihad, particularly among those who have recently converted to Islam.