AQIS ‘ideologically inclined’ to attack India: UN report

UNITED NATIONS: THE REPORT STATES THAT GROUP IS ‘IDEOLOGICALLY INCLINED TO CARRY OUT ATTACKS INSIDE INDIA BUT ITS CAPABILITY IS BELIEVED TO BE LOW’

Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), the terror group’s newest affiliate, is “ideologically inclined” to carry out attacks inside India but its capability is believed to be low and is relatively isolated owing to increased security measures in the region, a United Nations (UN) report has revealed.

The 22nd report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team was submitted to the UN Security Council Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee here.

The report found that AQIS was “relatively isolated owing to increased security measures but continues to seek gaps for opportunistic attacks”.

The group is “ideologically inclined to carry out attacks inside India but its capability is believed to be low,” it revealed, adding that, according to member-states, the strength of AQIS in Afghanistan was estimated at several hundred people, located in Laghman, Paktika, Kandahar, Ghazni and Zabul provinces.

Noting that Al-Qaeda still maintained a presence in South Asia, the report stated that the terror group adapted to the local environment, trying to embed itself into local struggles and communities and was closely allied with the Taliban.

According to one memberstate, although the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as ISIS, posed an immediate threat, Al-Qaeda is the “intellectually stronger group” and remains a longer-term threat.

The report revealed that some members of the Al-Qaeda core, including Aiman al-Zawahiri and son of slain Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Hamza bin Laden are reported to be in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border areas. Other members of the Al-Qaeda core may leave for more secure areas, it stated.

The report also revealed that between 20,000 and 30,000 IS fighters remained in Iraq and Syria and among these there was still a significant component of the many thousands of active foreign terrorist fighters.

One member-state reported that some recent plots detected and prevented in Europe had originated from ISIL in Afghanistan. In addition to establishing a presence across Afghanistan, ISIL also attempts to have an impact on other countries in the region, it stated.

“According to one memberstate, ISIL in Afghanistan is responsible for at least one attack in the Kashmir region,” the report said. However, no details about the attack in Kashmir were given in the report.

The sanctions monitoring team submits independent reports every six months to the Security Council on the IS, Al-Qaeda and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities.