U.N.: Al-Qaeda Branch ‘Ideologically Inclined’ to Attack India

The “several hundred” members of the Afghanistan-based al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) terrorist group are intent on carrying out attacks inside India, the United Nations warned in a new report.

Nevertheless, the international body acknowledged that the AQIS jihadis “capability” to inflict harm “is believed to be low,” noting:

Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) is relatively isolated owing to increased security measures within the wider region, but the group continues to seek security gaps for opportunistic attacks. The group, Al-Qaida’s newest affiliate, is ideologically inclined to carry out attacks inside India but its capability is believed to be low.

According to [U.N.] Member States, the strength of AQIS in Afghanistan is estimated at several hundred people, located in Laghman, Paktika, Kandahar, Ghazni and Zabul provinces.

The U.N. report conceded that the relationship between al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban, the terrorist groups behind the 9/11 attacks, “remains firm” despite the nearly one trillion dollars and thousands of U.S. military casualties devoted to combating the jihadis since the United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001.

Last year, Indian intelligence warned that both al-Qaeda and its rival the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) are expanding their Sunni jihadi operations into the disputed Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir, an area claimed by Pakistan, India, and China.

“In addition to establishing a presence across Afghanistan, ISIL also attempts to have an impact on other countries in the region,” the U.N. reported. “According to one Member State, ISIL in Afghanistan is responsible for at least one attack in the Kashmir region.”

The AQIS branch of al-Qaeda has reportedly urged its supporters in India to target members of the Hindu majority.

Citing intelligence sources, the Times of India (TOI) noted that AQIS maintains sleeper cells on Indian territory.

According to the U.S. government, the AQIS affiliate primarily operates in Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan where it seeks to establish an Islamic state.

The United States, Afghanistan, and India have long accused Pakistan of harboring jihadis linked to the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network, both known al-Qaeda allies.

India’s regional adversary Pakistan denies the accusations.

In June, the Pentagon acknowledged:

The Afghanistan-Pakistan border region remains a sanctuary for various groups, including the Taliban, al-Qa’ida core (AQ), al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), the Haqqani Network (HQN), Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), ISIS-K, East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

Terrorist sanctuaries on both sides of the border present security challenges for Afghanistan and Pakistan and pose a threat to regional security and stability.

The U.N. report about al-Qaeda’s presence in South Asia comes amid U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to the nearly 17-year-old Afghanistan war with the Taliban.

Pentagon officials deny the existence of “strategic ties” between the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda.