Al Qaeda threat can’t be taken lightly: Expert
Al Qaeda Threat Can’t Be Taken Lightly: Expert . It’s Jihad versus Jihad! But of a different kind. Now it’s between the most dreaded terrorist outfit Islamic State (IS), a breakaway faction of al-Qaeda, on one side and the parent organization, that has gradually lost its sheen with the death of its iconic leader Osama bin Laden, on the other.
New Delhi: It’s Jihad versus Jihad! But of a different kind. Now it’s between the most dreaded terrorist outfit Islamic State (IS), a breakaway faction of al-Qaeda, on one side and the parent organization, that has gradually lost its sheen with the death of its iconic leader Osama bin Laden, on the other.
Though it’s a war over the issue of supremacy and hegemony, and to establish supreme control over the Indian subcontinent that has the highest Muslim concentration in the world, the ultimate objective of al-Qaeda is to meet its ideological goal -- Ghazwa-e-Hind or the final battle in India, on Indian soil.
Ghazwa-e-Hind refers to an indoctrinated view of a final apocalyptic war in which India will be conquered by a jihadi army and in lieu, all soldiers of this army would be guaranteed a place in heaven. Terror groups like al-Qaeda, Taliban and their affiliates operating in Kashmir have been following this ideology, where India is regarded as the next battle ground.
The video of al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri wants to give the message that ‘al-Qaeda shouldn’t be ignored and it’s still active’.
“The Indian subcontinent, with India, Pakistan and Bangladesh together has the highest Muslim population, concentrated closely as a unit.
The Intelligence Bureau has already issued alerts to all the states after the release of the video tape, and as a result the intelligence units of various states like Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, Gujarat etc have beefed up their vigilance. Maj Gen (retd.) Dhruv Katoch, director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), said, “It’s certainly not easy in India to gain base, unlike in Pakistan, where North Waziristan is under the control of rebel forces and a large number of youths have joined terrorist groups including the IS.
But, there is an immediate need for Indian intelligence agencies to enhance its capabilities and intensify its information gathering system, especially in J&K and Assam, where much vote-bank politics have been played so far, and Muslims youth could be soft target,” said Katoch. “Kerala can be a potential state, where al-Qaeda can set up its base because of the large number of expatriates in the Middle East who can be recruited,” he added.
