September 5, 2014 | Quoted by Indrani Bagchi - The Times of India

Al-Qaida’s India wing: Rival ISIS Pushes Zawahiri to Look For New Frontiers?

“Al-Qaida doesn't announce new affiliates lightly, nor does it seem to be made up of fly-by night outfits. This (Zawahiri's) announcement appears significant, both for India and assessing the state of AQ's organization. It's likely that HUM and HUJI branches are involved in the endeavour, ditto for IM,” says Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, senior fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Despite ISIS, al-Qaida remains as dangerous as ever, which explains why Zawahiri's message is being seen as a significant challenge to counter-terrorism authorities. Gartenstein-Ross says, “I don't think Zawahiri fears irrelevance. Al-Qaida is more than strong to keep it relevant for a long time despite the hyperbolic commentary to the contrary.”

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Issues:

India Indo-Pacific Islamic State