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Al Qaeda Opens New Front in India

Drawing attention from ISIS?

Even terrorist groups crave attention, it seems. With ISIS drawing condemnation—and eyeballs—globally because of its brutal campaign to establish an extremist caliphate in Iraq and Syria, its forebear al Qaeda has announced the formation of a branch of the militant group in India and surrounding countries. A senior Indian official said the government has put several states on alert after viewing a video that shows al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri promising to “raise the flag of jihad” across the Indian subcontinent. The timing of the video implies a rivalry between ISIS and al Qaeda for support in south Asia, and is a jolt for India, which normally concerns itself with attacks by home-grown Islamic militants and anti-India groups based in Pakistan. Ironically, al Qaeda denounced ISIS last February, apparently because the offshoot group is too extreme.