In the Pakistani tribal regions that harbour al-Qaeda and a cauldron of other jihadist groups,militants from Central Asia,China,Turkey and even Germany are growing in number,eclipsing Arabs and possibly raising new challenges not just for the US but for Europe,Russia and China,say intelligence officials,analysts and residents of the area. Al-Qaeda till recently consisted largely of Arabs. But stepped-up US drone strikes,Pakistani military offensives and dwindling cash reserves have driven out many of the Arabic-speakers in recent years,says Mahmood Shah,a retired brigadier. While there are no exact numbers,Shah said intelligence sources in the tribal regions put the number of Arab and African jihadists at about 1,500,compared with 3,500 to 4,000 ranging from Chinese Uighurs and Uzbeks to recruits from Turkey,the Russian republics of Chechnya and Dagestan as well as native and immigrant Germans. The deaths of high-profile al-Qaeda figures such as Abu Yahya al-Libi,killed in a drone strike in June,have made others skittish,prompting some to leave Pakistan for other battlefields in Syria,Yemen,Iraq or their home countries,two US officials said. They also cited the case of a Saudi named Najam,who lost his legs to a drone. They said Najam was able to reach an agreement with the Saudis to return to his country. His treatment encouraged others to seek similar deals. None of the Central Asian groups are new to the tribal regions. Some were welcomed to Afghanistan during the 1980s Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Others arrived during the Talibans rule. The breakaway Chechen government even had an embassy in Kabul. A report last month by Germanys domestic intelligence said the Islamic Jihad Union,headquartered in Pakistans tribal area,is widening its sphere in the sense of global jihad to include Europe. Once dominated by Uzbeks,the IJU has sought to recruit German converts who have embraced a radical form of Islam as well as Germans of Turkish origin. According to the SITE Intelligence Group,which tracks Islamist extremist messages,the IJU is known as the European affiliate to al-Qaeda.
