No terror attacks till 2023? Al Qaeda shifting focus to Kashmir: UN report
The report highlighted that the AQIS is maintaining a low profile in Afghanistan, where it reportedly has around 400 terrorists. These include terrorists from countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
FollowThe Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), an off-shoot of the dreaded terrorist outfit, maybe shift focus from Afghanistan to Kashmir, a new United Nations report has said. The report also noted that neither the Islamic State-Khorasan outfit nor Al-Qaeda is capable of mounting international attacks before 2023.
The 13th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which was released on Saturday, pointed out that a change in the name of the AQIS magazine suggested a 'refocusing' by the terror group from Afghanistan to Kashmir.
The report also examined whether the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constitute a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan.Â
The report highlighted that the AQIS is maintaining a low profile in Afghanistan, where it reportedly has around 400 terrorists. These include terrorists from countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The AQIS presence has been detected in the Kandahar, Nimruz, Paktika, Ghazni, Helmand and Zabul provinces.
According to the report, the AQIS has thus far adopted a lesser aggressive stance due to financial constraints and because its capabilities are still weak. To recall, a joint United States-Afghan raid in Kandahar's Shorabak district in October 2015 had dealt massive losses for the AQIS.Â
On revival mode with Kashmir agenda
However, signs of a revival have been noticed with the UN report highlighting that the 'new circumstances' in Afghanistan would facilitate the group to reorganise itself.Â
In 2020, the AQIS magazine changed its name to 'Nawa-e-Gazwah-e-Hind' from 'Nawa-i Afghan Jihad', clearly showing its focus diverging from Afghanistan to Kashmir. That particular magazine edition reminded readers that Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri had called for 'jihad' in Kashmir.
The report notes that the fact that Al Qaeda's core leadership and affiliated groups, such as AQIS, remain in Afghanistan shows that relations between the Taliban and Al Qaeda remain close.
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Since August 2021, al-Zawahiri has shown up in eight videos. On April 5 this year, he spoke of the defiance of an Indian Muslim female in front of men protesting the hijab, an event that went viral in early February 2022. The video provided the first conclusive evidence of al-Zawahiri being alive.
No terror attacks before 2023?
The report noted that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan were targeting the Taliban after the August 15 takeover of Afghanistan. However, their activity declined by the end of 2021, possibly because of the winter weather.
The report said that neither the ISIL-K nor Al-Qaeda is believed to be capable of mounting international attacks before 2023 at the earliest, regardless of their intent or of whether the Taliban acts to restrain them. But their presence, and the presence of many other terrorist groups and fighters on Afghan soil, give cause for concern to the neighbouring member states and the wider international community.
