ISI Behind Qaeda's "Jihad" Statement That Has Kashmir: Government Sources

The Al Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent has been operating under the radar of security agencies. The AQIS or Qaeda's "Indian Subcontinent" unit, has reportedly consolidated its presence in Afghanistan by embedding fighters in the Taliban.

After the last American soldier left Afghanistan on August 31 midnight, the terror outfit Al Qaeda released a statement in which it called for "global jihad" to liberate other Islamic lands, and mentioned Kashmir. The inclusion of Kashmir and omission of Chechnya and Xinjiang exposes the hand of Pakistan in Qaeda's ominous statement, government sources said today. "The Qaeda statement talking about transnational jihad is a cause for concern. It is intriguing that Kashmir was included in the statement as it was never on the agenda of the Taliban earlier. The Pakistan ISI is behind this statement of Qaeda," officials told NDTV. The statement will embolden Pakistan-based terror outfits like Lashkar e Taiba and Jaish e Mohammad in attacks in India, government sources said. A senior government official said the Qaeda statement is still being analysed, but it is a serious cause for concern for India. "Al Qaeda is trying to radicalise muslims in the world - it is dangerous for humanity. Pakistan is pushing ahead its agenda," he said. Pakistan, said the official, had shown its hand in hosting and controlling Ayman Al Zawaheri as head of the al Qaeda.