The Third Generation: German Jihad Colonies Sprout Up in Waziristan

The following article from the Spiegel discusses the third generation of Islamist terrorists since 9/11 and their relatively swift radicalization and departure for Jihad training grounds around the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The article focuses mainly on the story of a few of these potential terrorists, ethnic Germans or those raised in Germany. Most interestingly, it also covers the so-called “German Taliban,” a small group of German-speaking terrorists, who have sent out a propaganda video and have threatened to attack Germany.

At the beginning of the article and based on the title, the article comes across as if it were speaking of a large issue, but further down it reveals that less than one hundred Germans are considered to have left Germany for this reason. Additionally, I find that the article is based primarily on the personal experiences of families who have had young adult children leave to join these groups. As a result, the article glosses over the reason for their radicalization and instead informs and reinforces the beliefs of readers about radical Islamists.

The complete article can read in English at this link.