Al Qaeda embittered by IS' 'soaring global popularity'

A new report has said that the soaring global popularity of the Islamic State (IS) has presented a direct challenge to the Al Qaeda movement's "original core" in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region and has sparked off an "exceptional level of flux" among Pakistani militant groups.

American intelligence officials had noted a rise in conflict between Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State's leader in Syria and Iraq, and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the purported head of al Qaeda's original global terrorist network since last year, reported The Washington Times.

A report produced by the "Critical Threats" program at the American Enterprise Institute has now revealed that Zawahiri's frustration with Baghdadi's growing popularity became so intense that he announced the establishment of a new Al Qaeda affiliate in South Asia called, Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

The document also said that other terror groups who had earlier aligned themselves with Al Qaeda are now jumping ship and pledging their loyalty to the IS. Most importantly, several senior leaders from Pakistan Taliban have sworn allegiance to Baghdadi.

The report said that the defection is remarkable because in pledging allegiance to the IS, the defectors have withdrawn their allegiance to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar.