By Ankit Panda
Al Qaeda released a video declaring that it was starting a branch in the Indian subcontinent.
Yesterday, I explored the question of whether the Islamic State would make any headway in South Asia. I determined that all things considered, there is little to worry about in the near term. Shortly after I published that piece, Al Qaeda released a video in which it announced the creation of its first official South Asia-based subsidiary. The timing was unfortunate, but hardly a coincidence. Given the Islamic State’s growing profile, not only are foreign policy analysts concerned about the spread of its influence into other regions of the world, but evidently so is Al Qaeda’s senior leadership.
In the video released on Wednesday, Al Qaeda on the Indian Subcontinent (or Qaedat al-Jihad in the Indian Subcontinent) was proclaimed by Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. In the video, he reveals the scope of Al Qaeda’s interest in South Asia. He refers to the group’s interest in the region’s large and diverse Muslim population, mentioning by name Myanmar, Bangladesh, the Indian states of Gujurat and Assam, the Indian city of Ahmedabad, and Kashmir. He tells the subcontinent’s Muslims that their Al Qaeda “brothers … did not forget you and that they are doing what they can to rescue you.” Zawahiri promises to raise the “flag of jihad” across the Indian subcontinent. Al Qaeda has several official wings, the most significant ones being Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), al-Shabaab (a direct affiliate after pledging its allegiance to Al Qaeda), and the al-Nusra Front (which also goes by Al Qaeda in Syria).
Read the full story at The Diplomat