News Analysis India

Tag: Al Qaeda

  • Credibility of UN depends on its effective response to key challenges of our times: Jaishankar

    By PTI

    UNITED NATIONS: India strongly hit back at Pakistan on Wednesday after it raised the Kashmir issue in the UN Security Council, asserting that a country that hosted slain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and attacked a neighbouring Parliament does not have the credentials to ‘sermonize” in the power UN organ.

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the credibility of the UN depends on its effective response to the key challenges of our times, be it pandemics, climate change, conflicts or terrorism.

    “We are obviously focused today on the urgency of reforming multilateralism. We will naturally have our particular views, but there is a growing convergence at least that this cannot be delayed any further,” said Jaishankar, who is chairing India’s signature event on reformed multilateralism.

    “While we search for the best solutions, what our discourse must never accept is the normalisation of such threats. The question of justifying what the world regards as unacceptable should not even arise. That certainly applies to state sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. Nor can hosting Osama bin Laden and attacking a neighbouring Parliament serve as credentials to sermonize before this Council,” he said.

    Eighteen years ago on December 13, terrorists of the Pakistsan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) attacked the Indian Parliament complex in New Delhi and opened fire, killing nine people.

    Jaishankar’s strong remarks came after Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto raised the Kashmir issue while speaking in the Council debate on reformed multilateralism.

    Jaishankar arrived here Tuesday to preside over two signature events on counter-terrorism and reformed multilateralism being held under India’s current Presidency of the UN Security Council, before the curtains come down this month on the country’s two-year tenure as an elected member of the powerful 15-nation.

    India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj was chairing the debate when Bhutto spoke in the Council.

    Tensions between India and Pakistan have spiked since New Delhi abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019.

    India’s decision evoked strong reactions from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy.

    India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was its internal matter. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.

    India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

    UNITED NATIONS: India strongly hit back at Pakistan on Wednesday after it raised the Kashmir issue in the UN Security Council, asserting that a country that hosted slain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and attacked a neighbouring Parliament does not have the credentials to ‘sermonize” in the power UN organ.

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the credibility of the UN depends on its effective response to the key challenges of our times, be it pandemics, climate change, conflicts or terrorism.

    “We are obviously focused today on the urgency of reforming multilateralism. We will naturally have our particular views, but there is a growing convergence at least that this cannot be delayed any further,” said Jaishankar, who is chairing India’s signature event on reformed multilateralism.

    “While we search for the best solutions, what our discourse must never accept is the normalisation of such threats. The question of justifying what the world regards as unacceptable should not even arise. That certainly applies to state sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. Nor can hosting Osama bin Laden and attacking a neighbouring Parliament serve as credentials to sermonize before this Council,” he said.

    Eighteen years ago on December 13, terrorists of the Pakistsan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) attacked the Indian Parliament complex in New Delhi and opened fire, killing nine people.

    Jaishankar’s strong remarks came after Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto raised the Kashmir issue while speaking in the Council debate on reformed multilateralism.

    Jaishankar arrived here Tuesday to preside over two signature events on counter-terrorism and reformed multilateralism being held under India’s current Presidency of the UN Security Council, before the curtains come down this month on the country’s two-year tenure as an elected member of the powerful 15-nation.

    India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj was chairing the debate when Bhutto spoke in the Council.

    Tensions between India and Pakistan have spiked since New Delhi abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019.

    India’s decision evoked strong reactions from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy.

    India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was its internal matter. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.

    India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

  • Two terrorists of al-Qaeda affiliate killed in ‘chance encounter’ in J&K’s Anantnag

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: Two terrorists of Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, an al-Qaeda affiliate, were killed in a “chance encounter” with security forces in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said.

    The slain terrorists, who were identified as Fayaz Kumar and Owais Khan, were involved in several terror attacks, they said.

    “Two #terrorists neutralised in a chance encounter by Anantnag Police in Thajiwara, #Bijbehara area of #Anantnag,” a police spokesman said in a tweet.

    Additional Director General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said the slain terrorists were affiliated with Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGuH).

    “Killed terrorists identified as Fayaz Kumar & Owais Khan linked with terror outfit AGuH. They were involved in several terror attacks including attack on police personnel in Cheeniwooder Srigufwara on 03-07-2022 in which 01 police personnel Firdous Dar got seriously injured and Darashikoh park Bijbehara on 12-08-2022 in which one police personnel Gh Qadir got seriously injured,” Kumar tweeted.

    Besides, they were involved in a grenade attack at Padshahi Bagh on June 15, he said.

    SRINAGAR: Two terrorists of Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, an al-Qaeda affiliate, were killed in a “chance encounter” with security forces in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said.

    The slain terrorists, who were identified as Fayaz Kumar and Owais Khan, were involved in several terror attacks, they said.

    “Two #terrorists neutralised in a chance encounter by Anantnag Police in Thajiwara, #Bijbehara area of #Anantnag,” a police spokesman said in a tweet.

    Additional Director General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said the slain terrorists were affiliated with Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGuH).

    “Killed terrorists identified as Fayaz Kumar & Owais Khan linked with terror outfit AGuH. They were involved in several terror attacks including attack on police personnel in Cheeniwooder Srigufwara on 03-07-2022 in which 01 police personnel Firdous Dar got seriously injured and Darashikoh park Bijbehara on 12-08-2022 in which one police personnel Gh Qadir got seriously injured,” Kumar tweeted.

    Besides, they were involved in a grenade attack at Padshahi Bagh on June 15, he said.

  • Speculations rife on India’s role in aiding US on Zawahiri’s location in Kabul

    By IANS

    ISLAMABAD: Slain Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Ladens successor Ayman Al Zawahiri was assassinated in “an over-the-horizon operation” involving a “secret weapon” by the US in downtown Kabul on July 31, more than 11 years after the terror groups founding chief was killed in a US Navy SEALs operation in Abbottabad, a media report said.

    Speculation abounds on how the US might have found and killed Zawahiri.

    According to the report in The Express Tribune, the targeted compound is just a few minutes’ drive from the Indian Embassy in Kabul where technical staff is currently based.

    Interestingly, Zawahiri’s second last video message was about Muskan Khan, a burqa-clad Indian Muslim girl who dared a group of young saffronites and shouted “Allah-O-Akbar” in front of them in Karnataka state in February 2022, The Express Tribune reported.

    Eighty-two per cent of officials of Afghanistan’s former spy agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), have been allowed by the IEA to work in various ministries due to a lack of technically qualified resources in their ranks.

    They could have been a source of information for the Indian Embassy because the NDS and RAW worked hand in hand during Ghani’s rule.

    There is a possibility that the Indians might have got the information from NDS and shared it with the Americans, The Express Tribune reported.

    There are questions around which airbase was used to launch the MQ9 drone. Pakistan has denied any role in the strike. Military spokesperson Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar categorically stated that there was “no question of Pakistani soil being used for this purpose”.

    The Foreign Office went a step further to even rule out the use of Pakistan’s airspace.

    A US media report claimed that the pilot-less aircraft was possibly launched from Ganci airbase, the US transit facility at Manas in northern Kyrgyzstan.

    ALSO READ | US drone strike on Zawahiri raises questions over Pakistan’s possible role

    There were also media reports of some US air activity in Farkhor in Tajikistan, near the border with northern Afghanistan, 15 to 20 days ago. Other than that, Ayani airbase, in Tajikistan operated by US’s Quad partner India, and the CIA-operated K-2 Base in Uzbekistan could also be potentially used to carry out such a strike, The Express Tribune reported.

    The neighbourhood where the Zawahiri lived, located just 1.5 kilometres away from the Afghan Presidential Palace, is off-limits to most people, which rules out an outside sneak peek at Zawahiri’s safehouse.

    Since the US has zero on-ground presence in Afghanistan after their pullout a year ago, rumours swirl that it might have been an inside job. America’s former point-man for the region Zalmay Khalilzad has hinted that the US may have been tipped off by the Taliban due to an internal power struggle between the Haqqani Network and the Kandahari Group, The Express Tribune reported.

    Michael Barak, a researcher at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), doesn’t rule out the possibility that the Kandahari Group might have shared intelligence with the US because they perceive the Haqqanis’ alliance with Al Qaeda as a threat to their efforts to stabilise Afghanistan.

    Mullah Yaqoob, the Taliban Defence Minister who represents the Kandahari Group, is said to be trying to carve out a larger space for himself. He has also tried to become relevant to Doha, Qatar. He embarked upon an unannounced visit to Qatar in the last week of July in an unprecedented move.

    Mullah Yaqoob reportedly met with some US officials in Doha. Speculations are rife that he might have leaked information on Zawahiri as a tradeoff for the release of Afghanistan’s $3.5 billion funds seized by the US, The Express Tribune reported.

    Moreover, since he leads the Kandahari Group, he might have done so to increase his credibility with the US and also to neutralise the rival Haqqanis.

    Al Qaeda is a shadow of its former self and hence Zawahiri was virtually of no value to the Taliban; therefore he could have easily been given up in a quid pro quo.

    A pro-Taliban channel on Telegram, ‘Anfal Afghan Agency’, claimed the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), in collaboration with Iran, might have helped the CIA track down Zawahiri.

    Sharing what it called “exclusive details”, the channel claimed that IS-K’s chief Shahab al Muhajir sent a “contaminated” letter of allegiance to Zawahiri that revealed his location to the Americans, The Express Tribune reported.

    The Taliban claim to have found corroborating evidence at the site including the “letter of allegiance” and a flash drive.

    ISLAMABAD: Slain Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Ladens successor Ayman Al Zawahiri was assassinated in “an over-the-horizon operation” involving a “secret weapon” by the US in downtown Kabul on July 31, more than 11 years after the terror groups founding chief was killed in a US Navy SEALs operation in Abbottabad, a media report said.

    Speculation abounds on how the US might have found and killed Zawahiri.

    According to the report in The Express Tribune, the targeted compound is just a few minutes’ drive from the Indian Embassy in Kabul where technical staff is currently based.

    Interestingly, Zawahiri’s second last video message was about Muskan Khan, a burqa-clad Indian Muslim girl who dared a group of young saffronites and shouted “Allah-O-Akbar” in front of them in Karnataka state in February 2022, The Express Tribune reported.

    Eighty-two per cent of officials of Afghanistan’s former spy agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), have been allowed by the IEA to work in various ministries due to a lack of technically qualified resources in their ranks.

    They could have been a source of information for the Indian Embassy because the NDS and RAW worked hand in hand during Ghani’s rule.

    There is a possibility that the Indians might have got the information from NDS and shared it with the Americans, The Express Tribune reported.

    There are questions around which airbase was used to launch the MQ9 drone. Pakistan has denied any role in the strike. Military spokesperson Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar categorically stated that there was “no question of Pakistani soil being used for this purpose”.

    The Foreign Office went a step further to even rule out the use of Pakistan’s airspace.

    A US media report claimed that the pilot-less aircraft was possibly launched from Ganci airbase, the US transit facility at Manas in northern Kyrgyzstan.

    ALSO READ | US drone strike on Zawahiri raises questions over Pakistan’s possible role

    There were also media reports of some US air activity in Farkhor in Tajikistan, near the border with northern Afghanistan, 15 to 20 days ago. Other than that, Ayani airbase, in Tajikistan operated by US’s Quad partner India, and the CIA-operated K-2 Base in Uzbekistan could also be potentially used to carry out such a strike, The Express Tribune reported.

    The neighbourhood where the Zawahiri lived, located just 1.5 kilometres away from the Afghan Presidential Palace, is off-limits to most people, which rules out an outside sneak peek at Zawahiri’s safehouse.

    Since the US has zero on-ground presence in Afghanistan after their pullout a year ago, rumours swirl that it might have been an inside job. America’s former point-man for the region Zalmay Khalilzad has hinted that the US may have been tipped off by the Taliban due to an internal power struggle between the Haqqani Network and the Kandahari Group, The Express Tribune reported.

    Michael Barak, a researcher at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), doesn’t rule out the possibility that the Kandahari Group might have shared intelligence with the US because they perceive the Haqqanis’ alliance with Al Qaeda as a threat to their efforts to stabilise Afghanistan.

    Mullah Yaqoob, the Taliban Defence Minister who represents the Kandahari Group, is said to be trying to carve out a larger space for himself. He has also tried to become relevant to Doha, Qatar. He embarked upon an unannounced visit to Qatar in the last week of July in an unprecedented move.

    Mullah Yaqoob reportedly met with some US officials in Doha. Speculations are rife that he might have leaked information on Zawahiri as a tradeoff for the release of Afghanistan’s $3.5 billion funds seized by the US, The Express Tribune reported.

    Moreover, since he leads the Kandahari Group, he might have done so to increase his credibility with the US and also to neutralise the rival Haqqanis.

    Al Qaeda is a shadow of its former self and hence Zawahiri was virtually of no value to the Taliban; therefore he could have easily been given up in a quid pro quo.

    A pro-Taliban channel on Telegram, ‘Anfal Afghan Agency’, claimed the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), in collaboration with Iran, might have helped the CIA track down Zawahiri.

    Sharing what it called “exclusive details”, the channel claimed that IS-K’s chief Shahab al Muhajir sent a “contaminated” letter of allegiance to Zawahiri that revealed his location to the Americans, The Express Tribune reported.

    The Taliban claim to have found corroborating evidence at the site including the “letter of allegiance” and a flash drive.

  • All religions flourish in environment of freedom in India: Union Minority Minister on Al-Qaeda threat

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Union Minister and deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday said here that Al-Qaeda is a “problem” and not “protection” for Muslims as the terrorist group is misusing the Islam as a “safety cover”. 

    Speaking to the media, Naqvi said India’s strength of co-existence cannot be harmed by any narrow-minded communal conspiracy. 

    “India’s commitment to “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” and “Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah” has ensured that followers of all religions are flourishing in the environment of equality, freedom and inclusivity”, he said

    Going further, Naqvi said that out of every 10 Muslims living in the world, one Muslim lives in India with equal socio-economic, educational, religious and constitutional rights. “However, the selective silence on oppression and cruelty against minorities in our neighbouring country is something that is hypocritically shocking”, he said.Lashing out at Pakistan, he said that the minorities’ population in Pakistan, which was about 24 per cent of the total population during the Partition, has now been reduced to even below 2 per cent. “While in India, minorities’ population which was about 8 per cent of the total population during the Partition, has now increased to over 22 per cent”, he claimed.

    He added that the “Pakistan Propped Propaganda” is to cover up the persecution of minorities and safe haven of terrorism in Pakistan and at the same time, to defame India in a conspiracy to spoil the atmosphere of peace and prosperity.Quoting figures, the minister said there are more than 3 lakh active mosques in India, and there is an equal number of other places of worship for the Muslim community.”There are more than 50,000 registered madrasas and more than 50,000 minority educational institutions, which is more than several Islamic countries. Similarly, there are thousands of churches, gurudwaras, and places of worship for Buddhists, Parsis and Jains. These all are a reflection of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat” and “Unity in Diversity””, he claimed.

    “Equal rights, dignity and prosperity of the minorities including Muslims are a part of India’s commitment to tolerance, harmony and inclusivity. During the last eight years, the Modi government has made all sections of the society including minorities an equal partner of peace and prosperity”, he claimed.

    Naqvi further said that unable to digest this positive atmosphere of “development with trust” in the country, some people are spreading falsehood on the issue of minorities before the world which is fabricated and opposite to the ground reality. 

    “These people are trying to hide the “mountain of truth” behind “bushes of lies”, he lambasted.

  • Mehbooba condemns al-Qaeda threat

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday condemned the terrorist organisation al-Qaeda’s threat to India over the remarks against Prophet Mohammad by now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, and said Muslims cannot tolerate any disrespect to the Prophet.

    “I condemn threats of every sort, be it by al-Qaeda or some other organisation. But it is true that there is anger in the whole Muslim community because of the comments by the BJP spokesperson. They (Muslims) are in pain as we can tolerate anything but we cannot tolerate any inappropriate remarks against the Prophet,” Mehbooba told reporters here.

    The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said as far as the al-Qaeda threat was concerned, “I fear that it will give another excuse to the BJP to push its narrative that the Hindus are in danger. So, it should be condemned.” She said the BJP should have taken action against its spokesperson earlier by respecting the sentiments of the people of the country.

    “But they (BJP) became conscious only after the Muslim countries condemned it,” she said. “Indians working outside are respected a lot by the people there as they think they are from a secular country, where every religion is respected. So, when such signals go out from our country, it lowers the prestige of the country,” she said.

    Asked about a lesser number of devotees at the annual Kheer Bhawani festival, Mehbooba said it was because of the fear among the Kashmiri Pandit community after the recent killings.

    “At a time when there is an atmosphere of fear, it is expected that a lesser number of people will visit the temple. But I am hopeful that the situation will not remain like this and God willing, they will come in thousands next year like they used to before,” she said. She alleged that the Centre was not allowing normal political activities in Kashmir Valley.

    Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal staged a protest in favour of Kashmir Pandits and against their killings in the national capital, but the political parties in the valley were not allowed to do so.

    Asked about National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s remarks that the party will contest the election from Surankote on its own, Mehbooba said the people of Jammu and Kashmir want the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration — of which both the NC and the PDP are a part — to fight unitedly.

    “What Farooq sahib has said, I cannot comment on that. But I believe that the people of J-K want that we all stand united as we are facing a huge challenge. Elections or otherwise, if we are not united, then there are people who are on the verge of erasing our existence. So it is important that we are united,” she said.

  • Alleged Al Qaida note threatens to avenge insult to the Prophet

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Amidst growing criticism and condemnation of the comments against the Prophet by a former BJP spokesperson,  a press note purportedly issued by the terrorist organisation Al Qaida has appeared on social media threatening violent retaliation to avenge the insult.

    “We warn every audacious and impudent foul mouth of the world that we shall fight for the dignity of the Prophet. The offenders of the Prophet shall find no amnesty or clemency, no peace and security will save them and this matter shall not close with any words of condemnation or sorrow,”  states the press note.

    Meanwhile, there were reports appearing on social media that suggested that Qatar Airways had stopped taking bookings of Indian passengers on their flights. However, senior officials from the ministry of civil aviation denied these reports and said that the airline was operating as normal. Qatar has 190 flights per week out of India and it’s not likely that they will take such a  step.

    ALSO READ | West Asian blowback can seriously hurt India’s economy

    More Muslim countries have now registered their protests against the derogatory statements on the Prophet. These include Indonesia, Maldives, Iraq, Malaysia, Libya, Turkey and Egypt. A total of 15 countries have so far voiced their displeasure, besides the OIC and GCC.

    It is learnt that the BJP has now issued instructions to its members to avoid speaking against any religion. The government has underlined that it treats all religions with respect. This is the communication that has been sent to some of the nations who had not just expressed their displeasure but also summoned the Indian envoy in their respective countries.

    “It is one of those episodes where the backlash was far more than one would have imagined, but it will also help others in India refrain from making such comments,” said an expert on Islamic politics.

    Meanwhile, India’s intelligence agencies have alleged Pakistan’s role in the anti-India hashtag on social media that led to this furore. They have verified 750 unique bot accounts who have run these anti-India campaigns with the backing of Pakistan’s PTI party.

    The day also saw the suspended BJP spokesperson, Nupur Sharma, gain a supporter. Dutch politician, Geert Wilders, has gone ahead and termed the anger of the Islamic countries as ‘ridiculous’ stating India should not have apologised.

    Amidst all this hullabaloo, Iran’s foreign minister is in India to meet the External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar. This is the first visit of an OIC leader after the controversy around the comments began.

  • Alert in Assam over threats from ISI, al-Qaeda

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: The Assam Police have sounded an alert over possible terror strikes by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and terror outfit al-Qaeda over alleged persecution of Muslims in the state.

    A circular issued by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) on Saturday said the alert has been issued following reports received from the Special Branch of the state police.

    The circular said the ISI is planning to target ‘individuals including Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) cadres and army areas in Assam and other places in India’.

    There is also a “threat from global terror outfits to indulge in spectacular action by resorting to explosion of bombs/ IEDs in places of mass gathering/ mass transport/ religious places, etc”.

    Another input quoted in the circular said the al-Qaeda has called for ‘jihad in Assam and Kashmir’.

    The circular further said the general secretariat of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has released a statement regarding the Dhalpur eviction drive in Assam’s Darrang district, which had claimed the lives of two persons.

    Over 20 people were injured, including policemen, in the anti-encroachment drive against ‘illegal settlers’ at Dhalpur in September.

    In the statement released through Twitter, the OIC has condemned the ‘systematic persecution and violence ramped up against the Muslim community in Assam’.

    Given the inputs, the state’s entire police machinery has been asked to take preventive and precautionary measures to thwart any evil design by ‘global terror outfits and fundamental/ radical elements’.

    All ground sources and intelligence gathering machinery have been asked to be geared up in the districts.

  • Afghanistan crisis: Indian officials see cause for concern in Al-Qaeda call to liberate Islamic lands

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  The inclusion of Kashmir and exclusion of Chechnya and Xinjiang in Al-Qaeda’s statement calling for “global jihad” to liberate “Islamic lands” shows Pakistan’s ISI link with Al-Qaeda, government sources said on Thursday.

    They added that the terror outfit’s statement of “global jihad” to liberate “Islamic lands” after the last American soldier left Afghanistan on August 31 midnight is a cause for concern for India. 

    An official in the security establishment pointed out Kashmir was earlier never a priority for Taliban, which was congratulated by Al-Qaeda on Tuesday for their swift takeover of Afghanistan.  

    “The latest Al-Qaeda statement exposes ISI’s hand. The statement is ought to encourage Pakistan-based terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad to plan attacks in India. But the security agencies are on high alert to detect possible anti-national activities,” the official said. 

    Another senior government functionary said the government is monitoring developments in Afghanistan.

    “Government is aware that Al-Qaeda is trying to radicalise Muslims in the world. We believe Pakistan is pushing ahead its agenda through Al-Qaeda,” he said. 

    According to sources, Pakistan has made its hand evident behind controlling Ayman Al Zawahiri, the chief of Al-Qaeda. Security agencies believe even Taliban’s Supreme Commander Haibatullah Akhundzada is reportedly in the custody of Pakistan’s ISI. 

    Chechnya in Russia and China’s Xinjiang being kept out from the targets of “liberation” through jihad is significant.

    “Liberate the Levant, Somalia, Yemen, Kashmir and the rest of the Islamic lands from the clutches of the enemies of Islam. O’ Allah! Grant freedom to Muslim prisoners across the world,” read Al-Qaeda’s statement. 

    Security experts — including army veterans and Jammu & Kashmir cops — had told this newspaper that the recent developments in Afghanistan will have implications in the insurgency in Jammu & Kashmir. Home ministry officials also spoke about this.

  • Taliban, Qaeda remain close, says report by Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team 

    Express News Service

    BENGALURU:  The 12th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team on key developments in Afghanistan between May 2020 and April 2021, submitted recently to the United Nations Security Council Committee, had warned that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda remain closely aligned and show no indication of breaking ties. 

    “Senior leadership of Al-Qaeda remains present in Afghanistan, as well as hundreds of armed operatives, Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, and groups of foreign terrorist fighters aligned with Taliban. A number of significant Al-Qaeda figures were killed in Afghanistan during the reporting period. Relations between the Taliban, especially the Haqqani Network, and Al-Qaeda remain close, based on friendship, a history of shared struggle, ideological sympathy and intermarriage,” the report stated. 

    In the backdrop of the UN expose on Taliban and their thriving terrorist network in Afghanistan, US President Joe Biden’s statement early this week that the “only vital national interest (of America) in Afghanistan remains what it has always been: preventing a terrorist attack on American homeland,” sounds rather curious.

    What is even more damaging is the finding that the Taliban “regularly consulted with Al-Qaeda during negotiations with the US and offered guarantees that it would honour their historical ties. Al-Qaeda has reacted positively to the agreement, with statements from its acolytes celebrating it as a victory for the Taliban’s cause and thus, for global militancy,” the report stated. 

    The June, ’21 assessment report categorially stated it is “impossible to assess with confidence that Taliban will live up to its commitment to suppress any future international threat emanating from Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. The Al-Qaeda and like-minded militants continue to celebrate developments in Afghanistan as a victory for the Taliban’s cause and thus for global radicalism.” 

    There are multiple foreign terrorist groups operating out of Afghanistan such as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), Jamaat Ansarullah Tajikistan (JAT), Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI) and the Salafist Group. “Out of these, Pakistani nationals fighting with terrorist groups in Afghanistan may be as high as 6,000 to 6,500,” the report said. 

    It added that Taliban’s “ongoing profiting from narcotics is not addressed in the (peace) agreement, but will be a challenge under any future governance arrangements in Afghanistan. The report also highlighted the factionalism within Taliban. “While the Taliban remain internally disciplined to be a formidable fighting force, there are divisions, which make compromise with its adversaries difficult, and its messaging remains hardline.”

  • Three more terrorists of Al-Qaeda outfit arrested: Uttar Pradesh Police

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday arrested three more alleged terrorists of the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, a senior official said.

    Those arrested have been identified as Shakeel, a resident of Lucknow’s Wazirganj; Mohammad Mustqueem of Muzaffarnagar and Mohammad Moid of New Haiderganj, Campwell Road, Lucknow.

    Earlier on July 11, the UP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) had arrested Minhaz Ahmed and Musheeruddin.

    The ATS had claimed that they were planning explosions, including using “human bombs” at several places in Uttar Pradesh.

    “On their tip-offs, some persons were called for interrogation by the ATS. The three were arrested after they accepted their involvement with the two arrested earlier,” Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said.

    About the role of the three, the ADG said Mustqueem had the knowledge of the conspiracy and had helped Minhaaz and Musheeruddin.

    Moid had made a pistol available to Mustqueem through Minhaaz.

    Shakeel helped Minhaaz in arranging the arms, Kumar said, adding that the three will be produced in a court for further action.

    They were planning to “unleash terror activities before August 15 (Independence Day) in different cities of the state, including Lucknow, Kumar had said earlier.

    “They were planning explosions at important places, memorials and crowded places, and also to use human bombs. For this, they were collecting weapons and explosives,” Kumar had said.

    He said members of the module are not only from Lucknow but also from Kanpur in the state.

    The official had said that an improvised explosive device (IED) was found at Ahmed’s house along with explosives and a pistol.

    Explosives were also seized from Musheeruddin’s residence.

    He said the module for the Indian subcontinent was announced by the Al-Qaeda on September 3, 2014.

    Maulana Asim Umar, who headed the Al-Qaeda in the subcontinent, was killed on September 23, 2019 in an US-Afghan operation, Kumar had said.

    Umar Halmandi had started the work of recruiting men for the Al-Qaeda in India and radicalise them, he said.

    For this, he had identified some aggressive persons in Lucknow, appointed them and built the Al-Qaeda module, he said.