IS, al-Qaeda posing threats, says IB chief

The ISIS and al­Qaeda have posed serious security challenges to India and the Indian Diaspora may become increasingly vulnerable in the days to come.

This warning was sounded during Saturday’s deliberations at the 49 General of Police/Inspectors General of Police and heads of Central police organisation, said the Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Syed Asif Ibrahim while addressing the second day’s session in Guwahati on Sunday, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Ministers of northeastern States.

Mr. Ibrahim also said that the conferenc,e while deliberating on the security challenges to posed by terror groups like ISIS, al­Qaeda, felt that the threat was likely to accentuate as the situation unfolds further in the future.

There is also an imminent threat of Indian youth moving to conflict zones and emerging as role models, he said and added that such a development might, directly or indirectly, pose threat to India.

The IB Director said that in the hinterland of the country, efforts of Pakistan and Pakistan-sponsored groups like Lashkar­e­Taiba, Jaish­e­Mohammad and SIMI to organise violent attacks on India has been continuing while busting the terror modules of the Jamaat’ul Mujahideen of Bangladesh in West Bengal have exposed the attempt by the Bangladeshi outfit to set up a base in the country.

He underlined the need for formulation of effective response by involving community leaders to counter jihadi threats and said that prominent Muslim organisations, seminaries, clerics in India have rejected the activities of terror outfits like ISIS as un­Islamic.