Qaeda threatens war in Bengaluru, intel dismisses it as old stuff'

Bengaluru: A day after a purported video by Al Qaeda was released online on jihadist forums threatening to secure Kashmir by waging a war on three Indian metros, including Bengaluru, the Indian Intelligence agencies rubbished the claim of the proscribed global terrorist organisation.

“There is nothing new in the video. This could be old stuff. Al Qaeda (AQ) has been threatening to launch terror strikes in key Indian cities for the last couple of years and is presently entangled with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) over gaining turf in Kashmir, where both the banned organisations are making desperate attempts to radicalise militancy. ISIS is making advances in Afghanistan after being pushed out of Syria and is fighting against the Taliban to establish the new Caliphate in the north-western country. AQ used the former Hizbul Mujahideen commander and founder of Gazwat-ul-Hind (the last and the final battle for conquest of India) – Zakir Musa, as its poster boy, when he defected from Hizbul Mujahideen this May after the United Jehad Council (UJC) criticised his statement threatening to behead separatist leaders, especially those who describe Kashmir as a mere ‘political’ issue. Musa didn’t get the kind of support Al Qaeda had imagined from the Indian Muslims. The video could be another attempt at raising the issue once again to test waters,” said an official source.

The Intelligence Bureau (IB) is, however, analysing the contents of the controversial video and is yet to send an advisory to Bengaluru, Delhi and Kolkata, said another source.

In the ‘latest’ video, Al Qaeda’s subcontinent second-in-command Usama Mehmood has reportedly said that it is important to wage war on Indian cities like Kolkata, Bengaluru and New Delhi to loosen the Indian Army’s grip on Kashmir, which has stationed more than six lakh troops in the northern-most state. “If we wage war on the Indian cities it (the Army) will come to its senses and release its grip on Kashmir,” said Mehmood. He has exhorted Muslims in the region to stand behind the Kashmiri people and support the jihadi movement in the subcontinent.

Interestingly, the controversial video was released on Tuesday – the same day a new pro-ISIS organization – ‘al-Qarar’, released a video pledging alliance to the founder of ISIS - Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.