Al Qaeda casting its net on Indian Ocean

Islamabad: Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) claimed on Wednesday that Pakistani Navy officers were involved in the failed attempt to hijack a Pakistani warship and launch missiles at US Navy vessels in the Indian Ocean.

AQIS spokesman Usama Mahmoud made the claim in a statement released on his Twitter account, obtained by the SITE Intelligence Group.

The new report would come as an alarm for the many South Asian nations who have their military stationed in the Indian Ocean. The growing threat only amplified with Al Qaeda’s claim of targeting the Indian subcontinent for expanding its reach.

India has been under threat by Pakistan’s home grown Hafiz Saeed and its terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba and with Al Qaeda making its in-roads into the region, it puts the country on heightened alert.

AQIS has even given an open threat for more attacks saying there is a split within the Pakistan armed forces with officers who are ready for “Jihad” against the US and its allied forces.

 

The attempt to hijack

Al Qaeda-led Pakistan Taliban militants attempted to seize F-22 PNS Zulfiqar-class frigate, as soon as it was anchored at Karachi dockyard on September 6th. The attack was resisted and prevented after extended gun battle between the militants and the Pakistani Naval officials, which resulted in killing of at least three Taliban militants and one Naval officer, while at least 7 militants were arrested.

The main aim of the militant attack was to filch the C-802 missile and use it to attack US fleet, as part of Al-Qaeda’s renewed policy for establishing its South Asia wing, with its station in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Al Qaeda spokesman Usama Mahmoud claimed “true objective of the operation is the American naval fleet that is stationed in the Indian Ocean.”

Karachi dockyard, being on the Arabian Sea coast, holds great strategic significance as it is located at the centre of US-Pakistan security based anti-trafficking and anti-terrorism co-operation.

The Karachi dockyard attack reminded people of May 22, 2011 when Pakistan’s Mehran Airbase in Karachi was stormed by Ilyas Kashmiri’s Brigade 313 militants, an operational arm of Al Qaeda. The militants managed to get into the airbase and resist the Pakistan security forces for over 15 hours, destroying two P3-C Orion and anti-submarine aircraft worth $36 million and killing at least 10 security personals.

Moreover, out of the 10 militants that attacked the airbase, 4 were killed while 6 were able to flee the base which was cordoned off by thousands of security officials.

The renowned investigative journalist Late Syed Saleem Shahzad, was the first to write inside details about the Mehran Base incident. Shahzad exposed major infiltration of Al-Qaeda within the Pakistan Navy officials.

“Al-Qaeda carried out the brazen attack on PNS Mehran naval air station in Karachi on May 22 after talks failed between the navy and al-Qaeda over the release of naval officials arrested on suspicion of al-Qaeda links, an Asia Times Online investigation reveals.” Shahzad revealed in his exclusive article in Asia Times Online.

 

Al Qaeda penetrates into Pak Navy

Karachi dockyard attack is very much similar to the 2011 Mehran Base attack as Al Qaeda has been able to make strong in-rows into Pakistan Navy officials.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif highlighted involvement of inner element support in carrying out the terror attack, revealing some of them to be from Pakistan Navy’s commissioned ranks.

“Some of the navy staff of commissioned ranks and some outsiders” maintained Khawaja Asif.

Since then, there have been several arrests done within the Pak Navy, amongst whom, three officials were arrested while trying to flee to Afghanistan. Reports also claim that the former naval officer Awais Jakhrani, who was killed in the attack, had links with a banned organization.

Al Qaeda spokesman also revealed the same in his statement, calling the attack to be conducted, not by “intruders” as claimed by the Pakistan Navy and Army officials, but asserts that Pakistan Navy officers executed the attack.

“The official Pakistani story alleged that the attackers were merely a group of intruders that breached a military institution of the Pakistani Navy, and broke in from outside. However, all the participants in this fearless operation were officers serving in the ranks of the Pakistani Navy. The naval officers responded to the appeal of the scholars and jihad and joined the ranks of the mujahedeen.” said AQIS spokesman.

“This operation does not represent an attack on the Americans alone, but it is a rebellion against the Pakistani Navy by its own elements.” said AQIS spokesman, Usama Mahmoud.

“This was not only an operation against the Americans, but also a mutiny of serving officers against the Pakistan Navy’s policy of extreme servitude and subservience to America.” Maintained Mahmoud.

 

AQIS South Asian wing & US forces withdrawal from Afghanistan

Karachi dockyard is the first big attack attempt carried out by the newly established South Asian wing of Al-Qaeda, formed on September 4th 2014, aimed at spreading its new station operation of “Jihad” across South Asia, a region comprising of over 400 million Muslims.

Al Qaeda leadership has realized the planned withdrawal of US-led NATO/ISAF forces from Afghanistan can be a potential opportunity to increase its influence in Afghanistan — while spreading its outreach to countries including India and Bangladesh, which can be used as playing field of operation in coordinated and strategized attacks — ensuring its re-emergence in Aghanistan and establishment of its central base in Pakistan.

AQIS penetration into Pakistan’s armed forces has also rang danger alarms within the military establishment as a major internal investigation in underway to identify all factors, officials and groups within the armed forces, who may be associated or aligned with any terror group.