【DUBAI】Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahri on the 3rd of September announced the formation of an Indian branch of his militant group he said would spread Islamic rule and "raise the flag of jihad" across the subcontinent.
In a 55-minute video posted online, Zawahri also renewed a longstanding vow of loyalty to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, in an apparent snub to the Islamic State armed group challenging al Qaeda for leadership of transnational Islamist militancy.
○No evidence of Qaeda's presence in India: US expert
【Washington】Amid a country-wide alert in India over an al-Qaeda threat, a top US counter-terrorism expert has said there is no evidence of the terror outfit's presence in the country.
"The idea that Ayman al-Zawahiri is going to open a branch of al-Qaeda in India is just crazy. Yes, there are some jihadi elements in India, but there's no evidence that al-Qaeda has a presence in the country," Peter Bergen, known for his insight into operations of al-Qaeda in South Asia, told CNN's Fareed Zakaria in an interview on the 7th of September.
○Al-Qaeda wants to portray Modi as enemy of Islam: US analyst
【Washington】Al-Qaeda, which has announced the creation of a separate wing for India, wants to portray Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an enemy of Islam and as such India should take its threat "very seriously".
Ex-CIA analyst Bruce Riedel, who is considered to be one of the US' top experts on counter-terrorism, said of the threat and pointed out as above on the 5th of September even as the US tried to downplay the terrorist outfit's capabilities.
【News source】
Al Qaeda announces India wing, renews loyalty to Taliban chief
No evidence of al-Qaeda's presence in India: US counter-terrorism expert
Al-Qaeda wants to portray Modi as enemy of Islam: US analyst
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