Close Watch on Al-Qaeda

May 19, 2026

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. 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 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.

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. 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 ABT still owes allegiance to Al-Qaeda. During its online radicalisation and recruitment campaigns, it has been using Al-Qaeda literature heavily.