Dhaka taking al-Qaeda threat “seriously”

Bangladesh government has taken the al-Qaeda chief’s announcement of a new wing in the Indian subcontinent “seriously” but said it would also look into the authenticity of the video message.

Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told reporters on Thursday that the government would soon announce the steps to be taken against the move.

He said the government of Sheikh Hasina had always been for curbing militancy, hence “the government has taken the matter seriously.”

In a video message posted online, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri also said the Indian wing “would rescue” Muslims in Bangladesh, along with other places in India and Myanmar, from “injustice and oppression.”

The fresh announcement of al-Qaeda comes six months after its call to Bangladeshi Muslims to join jihad.