Next generation of terrorists will come from Pakistan: CFR

WASHINGTON: If rapid Talibanisation of Pakistan continues, the next generation of the world's most sophisticated terrorists will be born, indoctrinated, and trained in that nuclear-armed nation, an American think tank on Tuesday said in a report.

"Today, al-Qaeda's top leadership is most likely based in Pakistan, along with top Taliban leaders, both Afghan and Pakistani," said the report 'From AfPak to PakAf: A Response to the New US Strategy for South Asia' prepared by the Council on Foreign Relations.

The "Talibanisation" of Pakistan's Pashtun belt is gradually moving eastward into settled districts, creating new terrorist safe havens in once-tranquil locales such as the Swat valley, said the report authored by Daniel Markey.

"If present trends persist, the next generation of the world's most sophisticated terrorists will be born, indoctrinated, and trained in a nuclear-armed Pakistan," the 17-page report said.

"Pakistan's non-Pashtun extremist and sectarian groups, some of which were historically nurtured by the State as a means to project influence into India and Afghanistan, also have the potential to prove deeply destabilising," it added.