Al-Qaeda is encouraging Bangladesh-based JMB and ABT networks to form splinter groups such as Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK) to expand its regional reach
Al-Qaeda is seeking to expand its terrorist network in India and the wider subcontinent by promoting a pan-Islamist ideology, encouraging Bangladesh-based jihadist organisations to establish splinter groups and building tactical alliances across sectarian divisions, according to a report published by the Indian Defence Research Wing (IDRW) website on October 12.
The report, citing security officials, describes a strategic shift by Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) aimed at expanding its regional influence, strengthening its support base and complicating counterterrorism operations by Indian security agencies.
Established in 2014, Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent was formed to extend the organisation’s reach across India and neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh and Myanmar. However, AQIS struggled to translate its ideological ambitions into a substantial regional presence, facing competition from the Islamic State (ISIS), which attracted recruits through its violent campaign and propaganda.
Security officials cited in the report said Al-Qaeda is now attempting to overcome these limitations by promoting a broader pan-Islamist approach. Rather than openly antagonising particular sects and sub-sects, Al-Qaeda wants its regional affiliates to adopt an ostensibly more inclusive ideological framework to attract different groups, secure local cooperation and expand its operational networks.
The strategy is intended to strengthen Al-Qaeda’s presence in India and Bangladesh while allowing the organisation to exploit existing jihadist networks without necessarily assuming direct responsibility for every operation conducted by its affiliates.
According to the IDRW report, Al-Qaeda is attempting to replicate aspects of its expansion strategy in Africa, where it has established connections with local militant organisations by avoiding blanket hostility towards different sects and sub-sects.
Security officials said Al-Qaeda’s experience in Africa demonstrated how cooperation with local groups could strengthen its regional networks and improve its ability to operate in areas where established militant organisations already possessed manpower and local connections.
In contrast, the Islamic State alienated potential allies through its uncompromising hostility towards rival sects and sub-sects. Its violent campaign and confrontational approach contributed to resistance against the organisation in several areas, undermining its ability to maintain its earlier dominance.
Al-Qaeda is seeking to exploit the differences between the two terrorist organisations by presenting its ideology as a broader platform for cooperation among jihadist groups. However, security officials warned that this strategy could make Al-Qaeda’s regional expansion more dangerous by allowing it to cultivate relationships with organisations that already possess established networks and operational capabilities.
The proposed approach does not represent a departure from Al-Qaeda’s extremist objectives. Instead, it reflects an attempt to widen the organisation’s influence by reducing ideological obstacles to cooperation among potential allies.
The report also notes that Al-Qaeda’s founder, Osama bin Laden, developed the organisation’s doctrine around targeting the so-called ‘far enemy’, referring primarily to Western powers. Al-Qaeda now seeks to adapt its strategy to the subcontinent by encouraging its regional partners to broaden their support base while pursuing the organisation’s long-term objectives.
Bangladesh has emerged as a significant focus of Al-Qaeda’s regional strategy, with the organisation seeking to strengthen its connections with established jihadist outfits and encourage the formation of additional splinter groups.
The report identifies Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) as one of Al-Qaeda’s principal allies in the country. JMB previously experienced an internal split when a faction aligned itself with the Islamic State and subsequently became associated with the Neo-JMB network.
According to security officials, Al-Qaeda wants Bangladesh-based organisations such as JMB, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) to establish additional splinter groups that follow its ideological direction.
One group mentioned in the report is Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK), which has focused its activities in India. The encouragement of such groups forms part of Al-Qaeda’s broader effort to expand its influence beyond Bangladesh and establish a more extensive network across the subcontinent.
An Intelligence Bureau official cited in the report said the strategy benefits Al-Qaeda because established organisations such as JMB, ABT and HuJI-B already possess manpower and operational capabilities. Al-Qaeda can therefore function as an ideological mentor while relying on existing networks to support its wider regional ambitions.
The creation of multiple splinter organisations could also complicate investigations by Indian security agencies. Fragmented networks may make it more difficult to establish organisational connections, identify command structures and determine the extent of coordination between parent organisations and newly formed groups.
Officials further suggested that the existence of splinter organisations could provide established outfits with plausible deniability by allowing them to distance themselves from activities attributed to breakaway factions.
The IDRW report states that Al-Qaeda is seeking to establish safe havens in the subcontinent and maintain tactical cooperation with groups across sectarian divisions, including Shia groups. According to officials, such relationships could provide logistical assistance and support the organisation’s ability to survive and sustain its networks.
The reported approach highlights Al-Qaeda’s efforts to exploit regional militant connections rather than rely exclusively on a single centralised organisation. By cultivating relationships with established outfits in Bangladesh and encouraging the emergence of smaller groups, Al-Qaeda seeks to create a more dispersed network with a wider geographical reach.
The report also contrasts Al-Qaeda’s current approach with the Islamic State’s earlier recruitment campaign, which attracted followers from India, including more than 20 youths from Keralam who were radicalised and travelled to Afghanistan to join the organisation. Some Indians who joined the Islamic State in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria subsequently became disillusioned, citing the group’s extreme violence, discrimination and the assignment of menial work.
Al-Qaeda appears intent on exploiting the Islamic State’s failures by presenting a broader ideological platform to potential recruits and militant allies. Security officials believe this approach could help the organisation attract support from groups that might otherwise resist its influence.
The emerging strategy places Bangladesh-based jihadist networks at the centre of Al-Qaeda’s regional ambitions. The developments outlined in the IDRW report underscore the continuing security challenge posed by Al-Qaeda and its efforts to extend its extremist influence across India and the wider subcontinent.
