Zawahiri killing: Terror groups targeting India could benefit from Al-Qaeda-Taliban nexus, warn officials
Zawahiri, who took over as the leader of al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden's death in 2011, was killed in a "precision strike" carried out by the CIA at a safe house in the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan's capital Kabul.
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FollowOfficials stated on Tuesday that the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri would likely be a blow to al-Qaeda supporters and affiliates in India, but they also expressed concern over the Taliban's sheltering him in Kabul, saying that such facilities might also be made available to terror groups primarily targeting India.
Zawahiri, who took over as the leader of al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden's death in 2011, was killed in a "precision strike" carried out by the CIA at a safe house in the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan's capital Kabul.
The morale of Qaeda cadres and followers in India is probably going to suffer as a result of Zawahiri's death. According to officials with knowledge of the developments, they recently carried out waves of propaganda efforts and attempted to reconstitute the al-Qaeda organisational infrastructure in India.
This may also adversely hamper the momentum of its regional affiliates like the al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
The fact that Zawahiri was based in an upscale Kabul neighbourhood is evidence of the intimate relations between the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Given the global terror group's ambitions to harm India, this strong relationship between al-Qaeda and the Taliban is wholly counterproductive to Indian interests.
According to the officials, Pakistan-based organisations like the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which primarily target India, may also benefit from the Taliban's provision of a safe haven for al-Qaeda.
Also Read:Â 'Justice has been served': Hellfire missiles take out Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul
Separately, Indian security sources predicted that internal strife within the Taliban might worsen as the Haqqani network, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, might attempt to exact retribution for the disclosure of Zawahiri-related intelligence to US authorities.
The possibility that disgruntled al-Qaeda members may switch their allegiance to the Islamic State and its regional branch Islamic State-Khorasan Province is a pressing concern for India (ISKP).
Any potential shift from Qaeda ranks to IS demands severe concern, according to officials, given the field operational capacity of ISKP to mount spectacular assaults.
Saif al-Adel is a seasoned field expert who has been the mastermind of infamous acts, including the explosions at the US embassy in Kenya. He is expected to succeed Zawahiri (1998). They claimed that, unlike Zawahiri, Saif al-Adel might plan more field operations to keep al-Qaeda active and prevent its members from defecting to the Islamic State.
Also read:Â Saif al-Adel likely to succeed as Al-Qaeda leader after Ayman al-Zawahiri's death
Eleven years after the US assassinated Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, Zawahiri, 71, continued to be an internationally recognised emblem of the organisation. Zawahiri was killed in a drone attack on a residence in Kabul on Saturday night while seeking refuge there to be with his family.
"I authorised a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield, once and for all," US President Joe Biden said on Monday in a speech from the White House. According to officials, Zawahiri was on the balcony of the safe house when the drone fired two missiles at him. Other family members were present, but they were unharmed, and only Zawahiri was killed.Â
(With inputs from PTI)
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