Qaeda India branch reinforces need for global strategies: UN

Al-Qaeda's announcement to set up a new branch in the Indian subcontinent "reinforces" the need for global strategies to combat terrorism, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson said here today.
"We have all seen the reports by al-Qaeda, which I think reinforces the need for global strategies to fight the issue of terrorism," Ban's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told PTI.
Last week, al-Qaeda's media arm as-Sahab had declared to open a new branch "Qaedat al-Jihad in the Indian subcontinent" to wage jihad, revive its caliphate, and impose sharia in the Indian subcontinent in a video posted on social media outlets.
The new group, headed by Pakistani militant Asim Umar, would report to Afghan-Taliban chief Mullah Omar.

Al-Qaeda is active in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but the groups's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri said "Qaedat al-Jihad" would take the fight to India, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The Indian government sounded a country-wide alert after the Qaeda video appeared.