Disenchanted supporters of Qaida may now move to IS: Intel

NEW DELHI: The killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri may sap the morale of al-Qaida supporters in India and push the outfit’s disenchanted cadres to switch allegiance to Islamic State and its regional affiliate Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), as per an assessment of the Indian intelligence agencies.
Both al-Qaida and ISKP had issued separate threats in June this year, with the former warning of suicide attacks in India and the latter announcing plans to target Hindus and “non-believers”.
Pointing to the Taliban’s indulgence of al-Qaida, agencies on Tuesday warned that a similar safe haven may be extended by the Taliban to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashker-e-Taiba.
The leadership crisis in al-Qaida, may not only adversely affect the momentum of its regional affiliates — Al-Qaida in Indian State (AQIS), Al-Qaida Bangladesh and Ansar al-Islam (also Bangladesh-based) — but also its recent efforts to rebuild and revive its organisational machinery in India.