Terror pact: ISKP and AQIS divide India into zones of operation

New Delhi, Sep 4 The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and the Al Qaeda in the Sub-Continent (AQIS) were both launched in Afghanistan with the sole intention of creating havoc in the region.

While the AQIS came into existence in 2014, the ISKP was formed a year later. It was presumed that the focus of these terror groups would be in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

However, a closer look at their activities suggests that these terror groups would use countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan to launch attacks on India.

The two terror outfits never saw eye-to-eye and felt that one was more dominant than the other. However, the latest Intelligence reports clearly suggest that the two groups have decided to co-exist and not cross paths.

While the two are in complete agreement that the destruction of India is their sole intention, the problem was which outfit gets to set its foothold in which part of the country.

The ISKP has decided that it would focus completely on South India, and the northern part would be with the AQIS. Since the AQIS has a better support base in Bangladesh, it would also focus on northeast India.

A deal was struck following an intervention by the ISI. The AQIS is largely supportive of the Taliban, but the ISKP is not. However, in recent times, the ISI has reached out to the ISKP to tackle the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), which is said to have the support of the Afghan Taliban.

The ISI also decided that it could not lose sight of the fact that the agenda of both these outfits is the destruction of India and hence decided to broker a deal on which groups get to control which part of the country.

Although the two groups do not get along with each other, Intelligence agencies warn that there is a good chance that they may come together as both have a common goal.

Investigations conducted by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in 2014 revealed that the AQIS had big plans for India. Currently, it is indoctrinating people, and the recruitment process is underway. It is also in the process of sending in arms and ammunition with the intention of carrying out terror strikes in India.

However, for the ISKP, the job is relatively easier down South. It had worked closely with the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), which had a strong network in South India.

With the PFI going completely underground following the ban, security agencies say that the ISKP is looking to fill in that void.

Both outfits have a good understanding, and it was the PFI which largely did the recruitment for the Islamic State. 21 people from Kerala were picked by the PFI, radicalised and then sent to Afghanistan to be part of the Islamic State.

The AQIS, on the other hand, has been slower. It does have a strong presence in the northeastern states as well as North India. It has been trying to reach out more towards possible recruits in India, and runs a magazine called Nawa-i-Ghazwa Hind, which posts India-centric content. The launch of this magazine clearly defined what role the AQIS wishes to play in India.

The recruitments from India are not the worry. Since chaos broke out in Bangladesh following the Sheikh Hasina ouster, agencies have reported that with the help of local terror groups, the AQIS is on a recruitment spree. The recruits from Bangladesh are being trained to launch strikes in India.

The ISI’s game plan is to ensure that there is chaos in India, but also see to it that the AQIS or the ISKP do not try and operate in Jammu and Kashmir. While both these groups have raised the Kashmir issue, the ISI has never let them set up base in the Union Territory. Any such attempt by these groups would clearly upset the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, and this is something that the ISI cannot afford.

--IANS

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