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UK troops fighting British Muslims in Afghanistan
Rashid Razaq25.02.09
THE British Army is facing increasing numbers of British Muslims fighting for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Senior officers claim they are engaged in a "surreal mini civil war", having to face fighters from the West Midlands and Yorkshire.
Dozens of British-born Muslims, mainly of Pakistani and Somali origin, are believed to have travelled to the country to wage holy war against British troops in Helmand province and other parts of southern Afghanistan, according to intelligence reports.
Interceptions of Taliban communications have revealed "seemingly committed jihadists" speaking with "West Midlands accents".
MI5 has estimated that up to 4,000 British Muslims travelled to Pakistan and, before the fall of the Taliban, to Afghanistan for military training.
Recent ground and air surveillance has shown increasing numbers of "British voices" in the front line.
A senior military source said: "We have been hearing a lot more Punjabi Urdu and Kashmiri Urdu rather than just Pushtu, so there appears to be more men from other parts of Pakistan fighting with the Taliban than just the Pashtuns.
"It is this second group, the Urdu and Punjabi speakers, who fall back into English, for example Brummie accents."
The American military has also presented evidence of British Muslims training in Pakistan and fighting in Afghanistan.
MI5 director-general Jonathan Evans said the number of extremists heading to Iraq had "tailed off", but has warned of Somalia becoming a new front.
Brigadier Ed Butler, the former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan, said: "There are British passport holders who live in the UK who are being found in places such as Kandahar."
Reader views (16)
identify them their brothers, sisters, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and remove UK citizenship from all of them.
- Ken Wright, aberdeen
Confirms what we already know.
- Scott, Newcastle Under Lyme
So the civil war has finally started. It will be only a matter of time before this war moves from Afghanistan to Britain itself.
- Sharon, Sydney
These individuals are traitors and should be treated as such.
- Andy, York, England
This is treason - pure and simple
- Jeremy E, London
Let's get our troops back into the UK ready for when this alien army, already in our midst, gets to work here.
- Cap, London
Surely the most important question is who is paying for all these British passport holders to go to Asia? If something like 4000 of them are now in the area, why do we not know who they are? I seem to remember that we used to have something called passport control at various ports of entry and exit - judging by the people I have met recently at these places, it is no wonder we don't know who is coming in and who is going out...One of them did not even know where the country I had recently left was...
- Jonathan Montmorency, cooden, uk.
Religious believers have higher things on there mind,not for them the mundane issues of boarders and loyalty to your country,there is nothing rational about religious belief,thay are killing for god,nothing new in that.Isn't it about time we reclassified religious belief as a delusion(there is no evidence that god exists)and a delusional state of mind is a mental illness we could then treat these people for there mental health problems.
- Kev, London-UK
If this shocking news is true, then DON'T let them back in.........British passport holder or not.
- Maureen Cohen, London
Lets hope no British soldier is hurt or killed fighing.
- Julian, London
How about making a law that states if anyone fights for a foreign power against the UK then they are renouncing their British citizenship or right of residence? Then if they try to enter Britain again they can choose between taking the return flight to wherever they came from, and/or facing treason charges (if British nationals).
Not sure, but didn't they retain the death penalty for treason?
- Rogan, Irving
Okay, I am sorry, I was a wee bit harsh calling for a severe sentence policy regarding our fellow brit's shooting our fellow brit's. How about a really really severe asbo?
- Gary, London
Gray-the best option is take no prisoners.
- Russell, London
perhaps they are there on holiday. i'm sure they wouldn't be there fighting British Soldiers........
- Jonny, London
Withdraw our troops now, perhaps we should encourage Central Asian states to sort out the mess and that way the Taliban will have less of a platform of support because there wont be any crusaders invading their space.
Besides what on Earth are we doing there except getting picked off like the redshirted soldiers of the past?
- Gordon, UK
What will our govenment do when eventually some of these people are taken prisoner? Our government needs to step up and issue a warning that any so called british citizen caught fighting our troops will face a very severe prison sentence with no parole. But it probably won't happen...
- Gary, London
