The Intelligence Bureau has issued a security alert to several states after al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahri announced the formation of an Indian branch of his militant group, a report said on Thursday.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has, meanwhile, asked the IB to verify veracity of a video which features Zawahri announcing the formation of the branch which he said would spread Islamic rule and "raise the flag of jihad" across the subcontinent.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has called a meeting after the al Qaeda threat.

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India on al Qaeda's radar: Zawahri announces new wing to fight for Muslims in Kashmir, Gujarat

In a 55-minute video posted online on Wednesday, Zawahri also renewed a longstanding vow of loyalty to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, in an apparent snub to the Islamic State armed group challenging al Qaeda for leadership of transnational Islamist militancy.

Zawahri described the formation of "Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent" as a glad tidings for Muslims "in Burma, Bangladesh, Assam, Gujurat, Ahmedabad, and Kashmir" and said the new wing would rescue Muslims there from injustice and oppression.

Counter-terrorism experts say al Qaeda`s ageing leaders are struggling to compete for recruits with Islamic State, which has galvanised young followers around the world by carving out tracts of territory across the Iraq-Syria border.




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