A US drone strike in Afghanistan over the weekend kill Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks, who took over the leadership of al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden was kill, at an urban safe house in Afghanistan, the White House said.
Ayman al-Zawahiri had on the radar of intelligence and counter-terrorism agencies for the last two decades.
His killing is important for the global war on terror, as also for India.
Indian Intelligence Agencies were Concern.
In a video, Ayman al-Zawahiri spoke on the hijab controversy in India and ask Muslims in the subcontinent to fight the perceive assault on Islam “intellectually, using the media and with weapons on the battlefield”.
Ayman al-Zawahiri refer to a live, hot-button issue that confirm he was alive and able to follow developments in India.
He shower praise on the young Indian student Muskan Khan, who he claim had “emboldened the spirit of Jihad” by her defiant response to heckling by a mob of rightwing Hindu men.
Ayman al-Zawahiri Said :
“She has unveiled the reality and unmasked the nature of the conflict between the chaste and pure Muslim Ummah and the degenerate and depraved polytheist and atheist enemies it confronts. …May Allah reward her greatly for imparting a practical lesson to Muslim sisters plagued by an inferiority complex vis a vis the decadent Western World. May Allah reward her for exposing the reality of Hindu India and the deception of its pagan democracy,”.
He said Muskan’s action had inspire him to write a poem.
Ayman al-Zawahiri Said :
“Her takbeers inspired me to write a few lines of poetry, in spite of the fact that I am not a poet. I hope that our honourable sister accepts this gift of words from me.”
Al-Qaeda’s effort to Recruit in India.
Ayman al-Zawahiri had largely focus on Islam’s war against western powers and India has found only passing mention.
He had spoken about Kashmir previously, but had never specifically reference any incident.
With al-Qaeda greatly weakened around the world, and its regional franchises unable to carry out frequent spectacular terrorist acts, the video appear to be an effort at issuing a rallying call to Indian Muslims, who have never enthusiastic participants in the global jihadist project.
Osama bin Laden sits with his adviser Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian link to the al Qaeda network, during an interview with Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir in an image supplied by Dawn newspaper 10th November, 2001.
Osama bin Laden Said :
“We must stop being deceived by the mirage of Hindu democracy of India, which to begin with, was never more than a tool to oppress Islam. We must realise that in this real world there is no such thing as ‘human rights’ or ‘respect for the constitution’ or law or other such nonsensical conjectural ideas. Our Muslim Ummah in the Indian subcontinent, our battle today is a battle of awareness, a battle of discerning illusion from reality. We must understand that the way out is by holding on to our Shariah, uniting as a single Ummah, from China to Islamic Maghreb, and from Caucasus to Somalia, a united Ummah waging a concerted war across several fronts. We must gather around the sincere scholars and fight our war ideologically. Intellectually… using the media… and with weapons on the battlefield against the enemies of Islam.”
Ayman al-Zawahiri killing in Kabul confirms relationship of al-Qaeda with New Taliban regime.
A UN report in June 2022 Said :
“Al-Qaeda enjoys greater freedom under the new Afghan regime, but its operational capability is limited. It is unlikely to mount or direct attacks outside Afghanistan for the next year or two, owing to both a lack of capability and Taliban restraint. Going forward, al-Qaeda appears free to pursue its objectives, short of international attacks or other high-profile activity that could embarrass the Taliban or harm their interests.”
On al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), the regional franchise of the terrorist organisation, the UN report said :
AQIS “is reported to have 180 to 400 fighters, with Member State estimates inclining toward the lower figure. Fighters included nationals from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan and were located in Ghazni, Helmand, Kandahar, Nimruz, Paktika and Zabul Provinces.”
Ayman al-Zawahiri killing make clear that India needs its engagement with the Taliban carefully.
India, which had been largely help it out of Afghanistan after the US left and the Taliban return a year ago, has open cautious outreach to the new regime in Kabul.
But the killing of al-Zawahiri shows the terrorist infrastructure continues to be active in Afghanistan.
And India may continue to help Afghanistan through humanitarian assistance but it has to keep its eyes open for terrorist activities aim at India from Afghan soil.
The UN report said that since the Taliban takeover in mid-August 2021, terrorist groups including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), both Pakistan-base groups targetting India, are present in Taliban-control parts of Afghanistan where they run terror training camps and have deep links with the Taliban.
