Editing Al-Qaeda (section)

=== Kashmir ===
{{Main|Kashmir conflict}}

Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri consider India to be a part of an alleged Crusader-Zionist-Hindu conspiracy against the Islamic world.<ref>[http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2008/1130_india_terrorism_riedel.aspx Terrorism in India and the Global Jihad] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111191820/http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2008/1130_india_terrorism_riedel.aspx |date=November 11, 2011 }}, [[Brookings Institution]], November 30, 2008</ref> According to a 2005 report by the [[Congressional Research Service]], bin Laden was involved in training militants for Jihad in Kashmir while living in Sudan in the early 1990s. By 2001, Kashmiri militant group [[Harkat-ul-Mujahideen]] had become a part of the al-Qaeda coalition.<ref>[https://fas.org/irp/crs/RS22049.pdf Al Qaeda: Profile and Threat Assessment] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508044340/http://fas.org/irp/crs/RS22049.pdf |date=May 8, 2015 }}, [[Congressional Research Service]], February 10, 2005</ref> According to the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]] (UNHCR), al-Qaeda was thought to have established bases in [[Pakistan administered Kashmir]] (in [[Azad Kashmir]], and to some extent in [[Gilgit–Baltistan]]) during the 1999 [[Kargil War]] and continued to operate there with tacit approval of Pakistan's Intelligence services.<ref>{{cite web|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,469f2dcf2,487ca21a2a,0.html|title=Freedom in the World 2008 – Kashmir Pakistan|publisher=United Nations High Commission for Refugees|date=July 2, 2008|access-date=May 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512172350/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic%2C463af2212%2C469f2dcf2%2C487ca21a2a%2C0.html|archive-date=May 12, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

Many of the militants active in Kashmir were trained in the same [[madrasa]]hs as [[Taliban]] and al-Qaeda. [[Fazlur Rehman Khalil]] of Kashmiri militant group [[Harkat-ul-Mujahideen]] was a signatory of al-Qaeda's 1998 declaration of [[Jihad]] against America and its allies.<ref name=CFRKashmir>[http://www.cfr.org/publication/9135/ Kashmir Militant Extremists] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214103922/http://www.cfr.org/publication/9135/ |date=February 14, 2007 }}, [[Council on Foreign Relations]], July 9, 2009</ref> In a 'Letter to American People' (2002), bin Laden wrote that one of the reasons he was fighting America was because of its support to India on the Kashmir issue.<ref name=Letter2002 /> In November 2001, [[Kathmandu]] airport went on high alert after threats that bin Laden planned to hijack a plane and crash it into a target in New Delhi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/2001/11/10/int3.htm|title=Osama men plan to target Delhi: Kathmandu receives threat|work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|date=November 10, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020418160409/http://www.dawn.com/2001/11/10/int3.htm|archive-date=April 18, 2002}}</ref> In 2002, US Secretary of Defense [[Donald Rumsfeld]], on a trip to Delhi, suggested that al-Qaeda was active in Kashmir though he did not have any evidence.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/2043800.stm Analysis: Is al-Qaeda in Kashmir?], [[BBC]], June 13, 2002</ref><ref name=SMH>[https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/06/13/1023864326179.html Rumsfeld offers US technology to guard Kashmir border], [[The Sydney Morning Herald]], June 14, 2002</ref> Rumsfeld proposed hi-tech ground sensors along the [[Line of Control]] to prevent militants from infiltrating into Indian-administered Kashmir.<ref name=SMH />
An investigation in 2002 found evidence that al-Qaeda and its affiliates were prospering in Pakistan-administered Kashmir with tacit approval of Pakistan's [[Inter-Services Intelligence]].<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0702/p01s02-wosc.html Al Qaeda thriving in Pakistani Kashmir], [[The Christian Science Monitor]], July 2, 2002</ref> In 2002, a special team of [[Special Air Service]] and [[Delta Force]] was sent into [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Indian-administered Kashmir]] to hunt for bin Laden after receiving reports that he was being sheltered by Kashmiri militant group [[Harkat-ul-Mujahideen]], which had been responsible for [[1995 Kidnapping of western tourists in Kashmir|kidnapping western tourists in Kashmir in 1995]].<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/1385795/SAS-joins-Kashmir-hunt-for-bin-Laden.html SAS joins Kashmir hunt for bin Laden], [[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]], February 23, 2002</ref> Britain's highest-ranking al-Qaeda operative [[Rangzieb Ahmed]] had previously fought in Kashmir with the group [[Harkat-ul-Mujahideen]] and spent time in Indian prison after being captured in Kashmir.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3832366/Al-Qaeda-terror-trial-Rangzieb-Ahmed-was-highest-ranking-al-Qaeda-operative-in-Britain.html Al-Qaeda terror trial: Rangzieb Ahmed was highest ranking al-Qaeda operative in Britain], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''. December 18, 2008</ref>

US officials believe al-Qaeda was helping organize attacks in Kashmir in order to provoke conflict between India and Pakistan.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/06/12/kashmir.qaeda/ Bin Laden's finger on Kashmir trigger?], [[CNN]], June 12, 2002</ref> Their strategy was to force Pakistan to move its troops to the border with India, thereby relieving pressure on al-Qaeda elements hiding in northwestern Pakistan.<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002/05/29/taliban-kashmir.htm Taliban, al-Qaeda linked to Kashmir], ''[[USA Today]]'', May 29, 2002</ref> In 2006 al-Qaeda claimed they had established a wing in Kashmir.<ref name="CFRKashmir" /><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/world/asia/13iht-india.2194572.html Al Qaeda claim of Kashmir link worries India], ''[[The New York Times]]'', 2006-07-13</ref> However Indian Army General [[H. S. Panag]] argued that the army had ruled out the presence of al-Qaeda in Indian-administered [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]. Panag also said al-Qaeda had strong ties with Kashmiri militant groups [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]] and [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]] based in Pakistan.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070823034704/http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/18/stories/2007061801191400.htm No Al Qaeda presence in Kashmir: Army], ''[[The Hindu]]'', 2007-06-18</ref> It has been noted that [[Waziristan]] has become a battlefield for Kashmiri militants fighting [[NATO]] in support of al-Qaeda and Taliban.<ref>[http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=199076 Ilyas Kashmiri had planned to attack COAS]{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''[[The News International]]'', September 18, 2009 {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>[http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=148529 Waziristan new battlefield for Kashmiri militants] {{dead link|date=November 2017}}{{cbignore}}, [[The News International]], November 24, 2008</ref><ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kashmiri-militants-move-to-waziristan-open/390569/ Kashmiri militants move to Waziristan, open training camps] [[The Indian Express]], November 26, 2008</ref> [[Dhiren Barot]], who wrote the ''Army of Madinah in Kashmir''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/Barot/ArmyMadinahinKashmir.pdf|title=Army of Madinah in Kashmir|website=nefafoundation.org|publisher=[[Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation]]|access-date=June 6, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503125705/http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/Barot/ArmyMadinahinKashmir.pdf|archive-date=May 3, 2012}}</ref> and was an al-Qaeda operative convicted for involvement in the [[2004 financial buildings plot]], had received training in weapons and explosives at a militant training camp in Kashmir.<ref>[https://archive.today/20081204081859/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article628497.ece How radical Islam turned a schoolboy into a terrorist], ''[[The Times]]'', November 7, 2006</ref>

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[[Maulana Masood Azhar]], the founder of Kashmiri group [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]], is believed to have met bin Laden several times and received funding from him.<ref name=CFRKashmir /> In 2002, [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]] organized the kidnapping and murder of [[Daniel Pearl]] in an operation run in conjunction with al-Qaeda and funded by bin Laden.<ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200410/bergen The Long Hunt for Osama], ''[[The Atlantic]]'', October 2004</ref> According to American [[counter-terrorism]] expert [[Bruce Riedel]], al-Qaeda and Taliban were closely involved in the 1999 hijacking of [[Indian Airlines Flight 814]] to [[Kandahar]] which led to the release of [[Maulana Masood Azhar]] and [[Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh]] from an Indian prison. This hijacking, Riedel said, was rightly described by then Indian Foreign Minister [[Jaswant Singh]] as a 'dress rehearsal' for September 11 attacks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2007/05terrorism_riedel.aspx|title=Al Qaeda Strikes Back|first1=Bruce|last1=Riedel|work=The Brookings Institution|access-date=April 12, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605132922/http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2007/05terrorism_riedel.aspx|archive-date=June 5, 2011}}</ref> Bin Laden personally welcomed Azhar and threw a lavish party in his honor after his release.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100411010821/http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/18/stories/2006091814740100.htm Al-Qaeda involved in Indian plane hijack plot], ''[[The Hindu]]'', September 18, 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/news/osama-threw-lavish-party-for-azhar-after-hi/12921/ Osama threw lavish party for Azhar after hijack], ''[[The Indian Express]]'', September 18, 2006</ref> Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who had been in prison for his role in the [[1994 kidnappings of Western tourists in India]], went on to murder [[Daniel Pearl]] and was sentenced to death in Pakistan. Al-Qaeda operative [[Rashid Rauf]], who was one of the accused in [[2006 transatlantic aircraft plot]], was related to Maulana Masood Azhar by marriage.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/3500661/Rashid-Rauf-profile-of-a-terror-mastermind.html Rashid Rauf: profile of a terror mastermind], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', November 22, 2008</ref>

[[Lashkar-e-Taiba]], a Kashmiri militant group which is thought to be behind [[2008 Mumbai attacks]], is also known to have strong ties to senior al-Qaeda leaders living in Pakistan.<ref>LeT, which is based at Muridke, near Lahore in Pakistan, has networks throughout India and its leadership has close links with core al-Qaeda figures living in Pakistan [https://web.archive.org/web/20100529171012/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5248563.ece Focus on Westerners suggests al-Qaeda was pulling strings], ''[[The Times]]'', November 28, 2008</ref> In late 2002, top al-Qaeda operative [[Abu Zubaydah]] was arrested while being sheltered by [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]] in a safe house in [[Faisalabad]].<ref name=WSJ20081204>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122834970727777709 Lashkar-e-Taiba Served as Gateway for Western Converts Turning to Jihad] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708220351/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122834970727777709 |date=July 8, 2017 }}, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', December 4, 2008</ref> The FBI believes al-Qaeda and Lashkar have been 'intertwined' for a long time while the CIA has said that al-Qaeda funds Lashkar-e-Taiba.<ref name=WSJ20081204 /> [[Jean-Louis Bruguière]] told Reuters in 2009 that "Lashkar-e-Taiba is no longer a Pakistani movement with only a Kashmir political or military agenda. Lashkar-e-Taiba is a member of al-Qaeda."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/03-lashkar-e-taiba-threat-revived-after-chicago-arrest-ss-09|title=Lashkar-e-Taiba threat revived after Chicago arrest|work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|date=November 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123124223/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/03-lashkar-e-taiba-threat-revived-after-chicago-arrest-ss-09|archive-date=November 23, 2009}}</ref><ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLC383495 Interview – French magistrate details Lashkar's global role], [[Reuters]], November 13, 2009</ref>

In a video released in 2008, American-born senior al-Qaeda operative [[Adam Yahiye Gadahn]] said that "victory in Kashmir has been delayed for years; it is the liberation of the jihad there from this interference which, Allah willing, will be the first step towards victory over the Hindu occupiers of that Islam land."<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/04/gadahn.video/index.html 'Azzam the American' releases video focusing on Pakistan], [[CNN]], October 4, 2008</ref>

In September 2009, a US [[Drone attacks in Pakistan|drone strike]] reportedly killed [[Ilyas Kashmiri]] who was the chief of [[Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami]], a Kashmiri militant group associated with al-Qaeda.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/12-us+drones+killed+two+terrorist+leaders+in+pak--bi-10|title=US drones killed two terrorist leaders in Pak|work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|date=September 17, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923225021/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/12-us%2Bdrones%2Bkilled%2Btwo%2Bterrorist%2Bleaders%2Bin%2Bpak--bi-10|archive-date=September 23, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kashmiri was described by [[Bruce Riedel]] as a 'prominent' al-Qaeda member<ref>[http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/1215_terrorism_riedel.aspx Al Qaeda's American Mole] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924002003/http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/1215_terrorism_riedel.aspx |date=September 24, 2011 }}, [[Brookings Institution]], December 15, 2009</ref> while others have described him as head of military operations for al-Qaeda.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091019084848/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C10%5C15%5Cstory_15-10-2009_pg1_11 Ilyas Kashmiri alive, lays out future terror strategy], ''[[Daily Times (Pakistan)|Daily Times]]'', October 15, 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-102709-rana-headley,0,5879769.htmlpage United States of America vs Tahawwur Hussain Rana], ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107012334/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-102709-rana-headley%2C0%2C5879769.htmlpage |date=January 7, 2014 }}</ref> Kashmiri was also charged by the US in a plot against [[Jyllands-Posten]], the Danish newspaper which was at the center of [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/04-ilyas-kashmiri-danish-plot-qs-04|title=US charges Ilyas Kashmiri in Danish newspaper plot|work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|date=January 15, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118131229/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/04-ilyas-kashmiri-danish-plot-qs-04|archive-date=January 18, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> US officials also believe that Kashmiri was involved in the [[Camp Chapman attack]] against the CIA.<ref>[http://wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/20100109051225/http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id%3D217152 US seeks Harkat chief for Khost CIA attack]{{cbignore}}, ''[[The News International]]'', January 6, 2010</ref> In January 2010, Indian authorities notified Britain of an al-Qaeda plot to hijack an Indian airlines or Air India plane and crash it into a British city. This information was uncovered from interrogation of Amjad Khwaja, an operative of [[Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami]], who had been arrested in India.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100529171046/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6999959.ece Indian hijack plot caused new UK terror alert], ''[[The Times]]'', January 24, 2010</ref>

In January 2010, US Defense secretary [[Robert Gates]], while on a visit to Pakistan, said that al-Qaeda was seeking to destabilize the region and planning to provoke a nuclear war between India and Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/03-al-qaeda-could-provoke-new-india-pakistan-war-gates-ss-02|title=Al Qaeda could provoke new India-Pakistan war: Gates|work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|date=January 20, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123140217/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/03-al-qaeda-could-provoke-new-india-pakistan-war-gates-ss-02|archive-date=January 23, 2010}}</ref>