Tribal areas in Pakistan are the command and control centre for Al Qaedas planning attacks in the EU, said an annual report prepared by the European Police (Europol) Office.
London, Apr 29 : Tribal areas in Pakistan are the "command and control centre" for Al Qaeda's planning attacks in the EU, said an annual report prepared by the European Police (Europol) Office.
The "Terrorism Situation and Trend Report-2008" is an important awareness tool for decision-makers at the European level, and is likely to generate a policy discussion and response across the EU.
"Afghanistan and Pakistan in general and the Pashtun areas in particular are of utmost importance to EU counter-terrorism. The tribal areas of Pakistan host a number of terrorist training camps operating in support of the Afghan Taliban, pro-Taliban Pakistani groups and foreign Mujahideen. Afghan Taliban and pro-Taliban groups in Pakistan have links to the increasingly active core-structure of Al Qaeda that is currently based in the Pashtun tribal areas in western Pakistan. There it is believed to have reorganised and rebuilt its capabilities as well as its command and control functions. Over the past five years much of the command, control and inspiration for planning attacks came from Al Qaeda's remaining core leadership in the tribal areas of Pakistan," the Dawn quoted the report as saying while emphasising on the need for policy focus on troubled spots.
It said that in the past, terrorist links between Pakistan and the EU were almost exclusively focused on the UK, "but now the terrorism is expanding in the EU".
The foiled plot in Germany, related to an Uzbek group based in the tribal areas, and recent cases in the UK and Denmark indicated an increasingly assertive and efficient Pakistani-based command and control of terrorism in the EU, it said and added that a number of EU nationals who attended training in Pakistan were later involved in terrorist offences in the EU.
The report said that in 2007, member states had observed an "increasing number of plots confined to a single member state but with links to Al Qaeda-affiliated groups based in Pakistan". Majority of the arrested suspects in the foiled attacks in Germany and Denmark had received some form of training in Pakistan, it added.
ANI