New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) The Indian Intelligence agencies are keeping a close watch on the resurgence of an Al-Qaeda affiliate, the Ansar al-Islam (AAI). This outfit was founded in 2021 in Iraq, and it primarily fought against the secular Kurdish factions and the US-led coalition.

The original Iraqi faction has now dispersed, but its wing in Bangladesh, known as the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), is showing signs of resurgence. An Intelligence Bureau official said that the ABT remains largely non-functional on the ground for the time being. This is a deliberate strategy to keep the heat away. However, what is being noticed is that this group has been very active online and is largely targeting the Indian audience for recruitment, the official also added.

The ABT has been in close coordination with its Pakistani counterpart, known as the AAI Pakistan. The official said that both have been coordinating and are aiming to ramp up recruitment activity with the specific focus being on India. Both the AAI Pakistan and the ABT have had a violent and radical history.

Another official said that the activities of the ABT are more dangerous when compared to the AAI Pakistan. The ABT has faced severe crackdowns in Bangladesh. The group had gone on a rampage when it targeted secular individuals, including bloggers. Owing to the crackdown, the ABT has restricted on ground activity to a large extent. This is why it has largely been focusing on online activity, where recruitment in India remains the primary focus.

Officials say that it wants to replicate in India what it did in Bangladesh. It seeks to set up a group of individuals in India so that they can target anti-Islamic persons, which includes secular writers as well as intellectuals. Following this, it would try to target the political class as well.

When asked about the functioning of the ABT in India, another official said that the plan is not to set up modules and carry out blasts or attacks. It does not want the run-of-the-mill module in India. Instead, it wants to radicalise and recruit youth who would go on to carry out murders of important people. The group would want these people to function individually and not as a group, the official also added.

The ABT still owes allegiance to Al-Qaeda. During its online radicalisation and recruitment campaigns, it has been using Al-Qaeda literature heavily. The emphasis is heavy on the ideology of Al-Qaeda’s founder, Osama Bin Laden, who continues to remain a heavy draw during radicalisation and recruitment activity.

In addition to recruitment, the ABT also plans to run a massive disinformation campaign in India. It would want the campaign to be focused largely on West Bengal. The ABT would use fake images and post false stories relating to immigration. It would try to project the Indian state and the West Bengal government as aggressors. It would use such issues to spread fake propaganda and also incite violence in the state, an official said.

The BJP government in West Bengal has assured that it will act on the issue of illegal immigration. Groups such as the ABT want to capitalise on this and push a false agenda so that the state remains on the boil. While the ABT has been successful in Bangladesh, it has not managed to crack the Indian market. Currently, it is on a very slow drive and is testing the waters. The focus is heavy on recruitment, and it is looking for persons from West Bengal and the neighbouring states, the official added.

The official said that while the ABT has not been a direct threat to India all these years, this time around, it is testing the Indian waters. The agencies continue to keep a close watch on its operations, and a large part of the focus is on the online activity of this group, the official also said.

–IANS

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