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Al Qaeda chief urges Mujahideen in Kashmir to inflict unrelenting blows on Indian Army

Published

7 years ago

July 10, 2019

Al Qaeda chief urges Mujahideen in Kashmir to inflict unrelenting blows on Indian Army

Terror group Al Qaeda’s chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has called upon “Mujahideen in Kashmir” to inflict “unrelenting blows” on the Indian Army and government in Jammu and Kashmir, according to a report from American website Foundation for Defence of Democracies’ (FDD) Long War Journal.

The report by Thomas Joscelyn said Zawahiri’s statement was released in a video by Al Qaeda’s media arm As-Sahab, which transcribed his latest message, titled “Don’t Forget Kashmir”, in Arabic and English.

“I am of the view that the mujahideen in Kashmir – at this stage at least – should single-mindedly focus on inflicting unrelenting blows on the Indian Army and government so as to bleed the Indian economy and make India suffer sustained losses in manpower and equipment,” Zawahiri said. “In doing so, the mujahideen must persevere patiently.”

The Long War Journal said Al-Qaeda has been grooming a group – the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, its Kashmir cell – towage jihad against Indian security forces in Kashmir.

Zawahiri did not name thisgroup but the video flashed an image of Zakir Musa, who led the group and was killed by security forces in an encounter in Tral area of Pulwama district in May. The following month, Hameed Lelhari was appointed the new chief of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.

In his 14-minute speech, Zawahiri said the “fight in Kashmir” was not a separate conflict but a part of the worldwide Muslim community’s battle against an array of forces. He called on “unnamed” scholars to propagate this point.

“You (the scholars) must clearly state that supporting the jihad in Kashmir, the Philippines, Chechnya, Central Asia, Iraq, Syria, the Arabian Peninsula, Somalia, the Islamic Maghreb and Turkistan is an individual obligation on all Muslims, until sufficient strength is achieved to expel the disbelieving occupier from Muslim lands,” he said.

Wearing a white colour turban and a long white shirt, Zawahiri in his speech calls Muslims around the world to “strongly empathise” with the cause – Jihad for the implementation of Shariah – of Kashmir. He also asks Muslims to express sympathies and extend support to the people living in the state.

He said mosques, markets and places where Muslims in Kashmir gather should not be targeted.

Zawahiri described the Pakistani Army and government as “toadies of America”. He claimed that Pakistan had prevented the “Arab Mujahideen” from “heading to Kashmir after expelling the Russians from Afghanistan”.

“All the Pakistani Army and government are interested in is exploiting the mujahideen for specific political objectives, only to dump or persecute them later,” Zawahiri added.

He claimed Pakistan’s conflict with India “is essentially a secular rivalry over borders managed by the American intelligence”.

Zawahiri while cautioning Kashmir’s pro-Pak terrorists says that “Pakistani government and its army is interested in exploiting terrorists for specific political objectives… only to dump or persecute them later.”

The Al Qaeda chief also talks about how Pakistan after surrendering to U.S post 9/11 arrested, sold, persecuted and killed Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters and how it provided safe houses to America to bomb Afghanistan and “in return received bribes”.Zawahiri in the video says that the relationship between U.S and Pakistan are that of a “petty thief and a gang’s boss” who complain to each other. “However, the cooperative alliance between the two continue to prosper,” he adds.

The Al Qaeda chief asserts that the Pakistan government & army cannot be trusted vis-a-vis ‘liberation of Kashmir’. “When it comes to defending Muslims, Pakistan army possesses a very dark history…,” he argues and cites Dhaka surrender, Balochistan, Waziristan & Swat as examples.

In a series of suggestions to Kashmir terrorists, he says “the first vital step is to turn the Jihad in Kashmir into Jihad for the sake of Allah…to liberate Kashmir jihad from the clutches of Pakistan intelligence agencies.”

Media reports said some experts suggest the involvement of the Pakistani ISI in putting out the video to show that it is not supporting terror.

Security agencies were reported to hold the Qaeda video is prompted by the government’s success in checking terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir and isolating separatists.

“There has been a fall in terror attacks and a rise in the killing of terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. The video is an attempt to motivate terror cadre,” a home ministry official was quoted by NDTV as saying.

Related Topics:Afghanistan Al Qaeda America Ansar Ghazwat-Ul-Hind Ayman Al-Zawahiri ISI Jammu And Kashmir Pakistan Taliban Thomas Joscelyn Zakir Musa

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Ex-shooter of Mukhtar Ansari gang shot dead in Barabanki, 15 rounds fired

A former shooter linked to Mukhtar Ansari’s gang was killed in Barabanki after attackers fired 15 rounds at his vehicle during a 10-minute assault.

Published

8 hours ago

February 13, 2026

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A former shooter linked to the gang of Mukhtar Ansari was shot dead in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district after unidentified attackers opened fire on his vehicle.

The deceased, Shoaib alias Bobby, had earlier been associated with Ansari’s criminal network. He was also an accused in the 1999 murder case of Lucknow jailer RK Tiwari.

Attack in Asaini area

According to police officials, the incident took place in the Asaini area when Shoaib was travelling from Barabanki towards Lucknow. A total of 15 rounds were fired at his vehicle during the attack.

Authorities said the firing continued for nearly ten minutes. Eyewitnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots as the vehicle came under sustained fire, creating panic in the locality. The scale of the assault and the number of bullets discharged indicate that more than one attacker may have been involved, police added.

Background of the deceased

Shoaib Bobby had been identified in the past as a shooter for the Ansari gang. He was named as an accused in the 1999 killing of jailer RK Tiwari in Lucknow.

About Mukhtar Ansari

Mukhtar Ansari, who was 63 at the time of his death in 2024, had been booked in 65 criminal cases over the years, including charges of murder and extortion. Despite his criminal record, he was elected five times as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from different political parties.

Born in 1963 into an influential family, Ansari entered organised crime during a period when contract mafia activities were prevalent in parts of Uttar Pradesh. From 2005 until his death, he remained lodged in various jails in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

Ansari died of cardiac arrest after being hospitalised in 2024. According to a medical bulletin issued in Hindi, he was shifted from jail in Banda to Rani Durgavati Medical College at around 8.25 pm after complaining of vomiting and being found unconscious.

Police are continuing their investigation into the Barabanki shooting.

India News

Rahul Gandhi faces expulsion demand in Lok Sabha over trade deal remarks

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has moved a notice seeking Rahul Gandhi’s expulsion from the Lok Sabha. Here is how the disqualification and expulsion process works.

Published

11 hours ago

February 13, 2026

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Nishikant Dubey, a Member of Parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party, has sought the expulsion of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha. Dubey has submitted a notice calling for a substantive motion against Gandhi over his remarks concerning the India–US trade deal.

The BJP MP has demanded cancellation of Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership and has also called for a lifetime ban on him from contesting elections. The development has raised questions about the procedure for removing a sitting Member of Parliament from the House.

How can a Lok Sabha MP be expelled

The process for expelling a Member of Parliament involves several procedural steps within the House:

Submission of complaint
The process begins when a member or political party files a formal complaint against a sitting MP.

Reference to committee
The Lok Sabha Speaker may refer the matter to the Committee of Privileges for examination. The committee is tasked with conducting a detailed inquiry into the allegations.

Investigation and findings
The committee can examine evidence, call witnesses, and allow the concerned MP to present a defence. After completing its review, it submits a report outlining its findings and recommendations.

Consideration by the House
The committee’s report is tabled in the Lok Sabha. If it recommends expulsion, a motion is moved in the House to adopt the recommendation.

Voting on expulsion
For the motion to pass, it must secure a majority of members present and voting. If approved, the MP stands expelled from the House.

Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification in 2023

In 2023, a court in Surat sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years in prison in a criminal defamation case related to a remark about the “Modi surname”. Under Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, any MP convicted and sentenced to two years or more faces automatic disqualification from Parliament.

Following the conviction, Gandhi was disqualified as a Member of Parliament. However, he later challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court of India, which stayed his conviction. After the stay order, his Lok Sabha membership was restored and he resumed his role as an MP.

India News

Amit Shah to visit India-Bangladesh border in Assam on February 21

Amit Shah is scheduled to visit the India-Bangladesh border in Assam’s Cachar district on February 21 and participate in the Vibrant Villages Programme event.

Published

11 hours ago

February 13, 2026

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to visit the India-Bangladesh international border in Assam’s Cachar district on February 21, in a move that carries political and administrative significance ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

According to party sources, Shah will arrive in Assam on February 20 and travel the following morning to Natanpur village in the Katigorah area, located close to the international border. During his visit on February 21, he is scheduled to participate in an event under the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP).

The visit is notable as action against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh has remained a key electoral issue for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.

Ahead of the Home Minister’s arrival, State minister Kaushik Rai, Cachar district commissioner Ayush Garg, and senior officials of the Border Security Force (BSF) and police reviewed security arrangements and preparedness in Natanpur village.

Natanpur, situated along the international boundary in Cachar district, has witnessed the apprehension of over 200 illegal migrants in recent years, including individuals from Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The Vibrant Villages Programme, organised by the Home Ministry, focuses on strengthening border areas through livelihood generation, tourism promotion, preservation of cultural heritage, skill development, and support for agriculture and allied sectors.