Ex neo-Nazi: Joining Taliban – terrible mistake
German man who joined Afghan jihad says he regrets decision due to lack of comforts on battlefield; 'my wife missed her cell phone,' he says
The German man, identified only as Thomas U, said that signing up for the German Taliban Mujahidin (DTM) and travelling with his wife to the war-torn Afgfhan-Pakistan border was a "terrible mistake."
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At court, the jihadist lamented his fellow combatants' drug habits, lacking hygiene, contracting hepititis A and the loss of his friends on the battlefield.
His wife, he said, also missed comforts such as shopping at the supermarket and her cell phone.
Turkish prison
According to the report, the couple were arrested upon escaping to Istanbul, Turkey, in 2010 after the wife became pregnant. She gave birth in a Turkish prison.
Thomas U, 27, is being charged with being a member of the DTM and taking part in an attack on an American base.
According to the report, he paid 5,000 euros to travel to the Afghan-Pakistan border in 2009, and was locally trained in the use of firearms and explosives. He even appeared in a Taliban propaganda video, boasting that the attack "disrupted the Christmas spirit" on the base.
The aspiring terrorist became disillusioned with the violence in April 2010, when DTM's German co-founder Eric Breininger and a Dutch national only identified as Danny R were killed in an attack by Pakistani force.
The 1.87 meter-tall man had shriveled to only 53kg after contracting hepatitis A.
"It was a terrible experience," he said in a court statement. "I was shocked at the lack of hygiene, people were spitting and vomiting.
"My wife was very unhappy because traditionally women are treated badly," he added.
He expressed his relief at escaping the dreadful conditions.
"Finally I could hold hands with my wife in public," he was quoted as saying.
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