Al Qaeda video announces new terrorist wing in India

Islamic Extremism

Al Qaeda video announces new terrorist wing in India

Several provinces in India are on high alert after al Qaeda released video announcing plans for a new wing of the terrorist group to be formed in the region. It is the first videotape by the terrorist organization in more than a year. CCTV America’s Ritu Dixit reports.

In a video posted online, al-Qaeda Chief Ayman al-Zawahri gave a new threat to India. In the 55-minute video, he promised to spread Islamic rule in South Asia and “raise the flag of jihad” across the Indian subcontinent by forming a new branch of the militant group.

His announcement made two references to Gujarat, the home state of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, long considered a target for Islamist militant groups. Gujarat also has the largest Muslim population in the country. The Indian government verified the authenticity of the video and almost all Indian states have been put on alert.

Is the Islamic State outpacing al-Qaeda? For more insight on the relationship between the Islamic State and other groups, CCTV America was joined by Thomas Sanderson. He is co-director and senior fellow for the Transnational Threats project in the Center for Strategic and International Studies.