Al-Qaeda Chief Announces Start of Jihadi Operations in India

Source: Bloomberg

By Kartikay Mehrotra Sep 4, 2014 4:51 AM ET

Al-Qaeda will start a new wing dedicated to waging jihad in the Indian subcontinent and beyond, the terror group’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri announced in a 55-minute video posted online.

Al-Zawahiri said the group would help expand al-Qaeda attacks in India as well as work to end what he called the suffering of Muslims throughout the region, including in Kashmir, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The video indicated the new group would be led by two Pakistani militants from Pakistani territory.

“Oh, our Muslim nation in the Indian sub-continent! Support your Mujahedeen brothers with your opinion and advice, and money, equipment and prayer, and follow the procession of jihad,” al-Zawahiri said in the video.

Al-Qaeda's Heirs

The announcement risks adding to tensions between India and Pakistan as border skirmishes intensify between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, further dimming initial hopes that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s May election victory would spur peace talks and enhance economic collaboration. The two countries have fought four wars since 1947, with most of the violence stemming from disputes over the Muslim-majority territory of Kashmir where the Modi government intends to end the special rights awarded to its minority population.



Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-04/al-qaeda-head-al-zawahiri-announces-start-of-operations-in-india.html