by Jibran Khan

Sources in Pakistan’s Inter Services Public Relations say the five are three Germans of Turkish descent and two Britons with ties to al-Qaeda. The five men had come to Pakistan to train at a terrorist-run camp. One of them was planning attacks in Europe.

Islamabad (AsiaNews) – Three Germans of Turkish descent and two Britons with ties to al-Qaeda were killed in North Waziristan, sources in Pakistan’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) told AsiaNews. The attack, which occurred near the Bilal Mosque in the city of Mir Ali, also killed were three Pakistani militants. Two civilians were wounded. The information comes a few days after a number of Western governments issued warnings about possible terrorist attacks in Europe.

Pakistani military sources said the five Europeans were in Mir Ali to train at a camp run by Muslim terrorists. They lived on a property owned by a Taliban leader, Sher Maula Khan, who was arrested in June by Pakistani intelligence along with a German national, Rami Mohammad.

An intelligence source told AsiaNews that Khan was charged with recruiting militants in Germany. “One of the dead Germans had called himself Fayyaz and had apparently been planning attacks in Europe."

For the German Federal Police, at least 220 Germans of Middle Eastern or Asian origin left Germany for Pakistan and Afghanistan for training in camps run by Muslim extremists. At least 70 did receive training and could be used in the future for eventual terrorist attacks in Europe.

The US State Department issued a warning on Sunday about potential terrorist attacks in Great Britain, France and Italy. Concerns about potential acts of terror are partly based on information from an Afghan-German jihadist, Ahmad Siddique, who was arrested in Kabul at the beginning of July.

During his interrogation by the Americans, he apparently spoke of possible terrorist plans in Europe, alleging that they would be carried out by extremists recruited in Germany and other Western nations.

• pakistan
• afghanistan
• germany
• france
• great
• britain
• united
• states
• italy
• taliban
• westerners
• warnings
• terror
• attacks