In a video posted online, al-Qaeda emir Ayman az-Zawahri publicly establishes a brand new branch of his al-Qaeda network. This branch, called al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), will be responsible for operations in India, Kashmir, Burma and Bangladesh according to the statement in the video.
In a likely move to counter the IS, the AQ emir publicly accepts the oath of allegiance from mujahideen in the subcontinent and seeks to "revive the caliphate". Also worth noting is that Zawahri, again, refers to the Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar as "Emir al-Mu'minin", or Leader of the Faithful. By doing so, he is reaffirming his allegiance to Mullah Omar and at the same time, snubbing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who is called "Emir al-Mu'minin" by his followers.
While no direct statement is made to Baghdadi's group, ISIS, Zawahri's statements in this video could be argued that he is, indeed, making a statement against ISIS by never mentioning them. However, it is unclear when this video was made or when the groups in the region swore bayah to Zawahri. It is likely that the groups made the oath long ago, as it usually happens with established branches.
Another interesting tidbit about this whole thing, is that AQ is again showing they are prepared for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Having an official branch in the subcontinent will open up a lot of groundwork for operations in not only India and the aforementioned countries, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They will still easily be able to utilize their Pakistani allies, of course.
According to this transcript below, the emir of AQIS is Asim Umar and the spokesman is Usama Mahmoud.
In a likely move to counter the IS, the AQ emir publicly accepts the oath of allegiance from mujahideen in the subcontinent and seeks to "revive the caliphate". Also worth noting is that Zawahri, again, refers to the Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar as "Emir al-Mu'minin", or Leader of the Faithful. By doing so, he is reaffirming his allegiance to Mullah Omar and at the same time, snubbing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who is called "Emir al-Mu'minin" by his followers.
While no direct statement is made to Baghdadi's group, ISIS, Zawahri's statements in this video could be argued that he is, indeed, making a statement against ISIS by never mentioning them. However, it is unclear when this video was made or when the groups in the region swore bayah to Zawahri. It is likely that the groups made the oath long ago, as it usually happens with established branches.
Another interesting tidbit about this whole thing, is that AQ is again showing they are prepared for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Having an official branch in the subcontinent will open up a lot of groundwork for operations in not only India and the aforementioned countries, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They will still easily be able to utilize their Pakistani allies, of course.
According to this transcript below, the emir of AQIS is Asim Umar and the spokesman is Usama Mahmoud.
I will edit this post when new information arises.
UPDATE 1:
Bill Roggio from the Long War Journal is reporting that Zawahri said: "This entity was not established today, but it is the fruit of a blessed effort for more than two years to gather the mujahideen in the Indian subcontinent into a single entity to be with the main group, Qaedat al-Jihad, from the soldiers of the Islamic Emirate and its triumphant emir, Allah permitting, Emir of the Believers Mullah Muhammad Omar Mujahid".
As I mentioned above, the oath of allegiance from the groups to Zawahri could have been given long ago. It appears that was true.
In the same article, Roggio notes this of Asim Umar, the new emir of AQIS: "Umar was previously identified by al Qaeda as a commander in the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, a jihadist group closely linked to al Qaeda, in a video released by As Sahab in July 2013". Roggio also notes that Umar has been previously "identified as al Qaeda's top sharia official in Pakistan."
As Roggio says in the article, this most certainly showcases how close AQ is with Taliban factions in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
UPDATE 2:
The video has since been taken down. I will try to find a new one to replace it.
-- Caleb
The video has since been taken down. I will try to find a new one to replace it.
-- Caleb