New Delhi: Indian Air Force (IAF) is ready for any eventuality and can tackle terror threats, says the Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha. The top IAF officer made the statement a day after al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri released a video announcing the plans to establish a terror wing in India.
"There is a threat from al Qaeda-like agencies but the nation is prepared for it," said Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha.
Soon after the video was released, the Union Home Ministry issued an advisory to all states. The Home Ministry issued an all-India alert and sent investigative teams to sensitive areas. Home Minister Rajnath Singh briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the al-Qaeda video and listed the steps being taken.
The government also asked all states to be on high alert for any possible terror attack. IB sources also say that that al Qaeda does not have a cell in India yet, otherwise it would not have released a video.
In the video, Zawahiri says the outfit in the Indian subcontinent will focus on uniting Muslims living in Assam, Gujarat and Kashmir.
The US has also reacted saying they are not threatened. They also said Al-Qaeda has been active in the Indian subcontinent for a while now.
"We do not regard the announcement as an indication of new capabilities by al Qaeda, which has long been active throughout the region. We have seen the reports of al Qaeda's new branch on the Indian subcontinent. The US remains committed to dismantling al Qaeda and ensuring that it never again poses a threat to the American people," Caitlin Hayden, spokesperson of the National Security Council at the White House, said.
Al Qaeda is active in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but Zawahiri said 'Qaedat al-Jihad' would take the fight to India, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Comments
0 comment