Govt bans two new arms of al-Qaida, IS

New Delhi, June 21

The Centre has put sister organisations of al-Qaida and the Islamic State on the list of banned outfits under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

In an order, a copy of which is with The Tribune, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said both al-Qaida in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham-Khorasan (ISIS-K), an Afghanistan-based affiliate of ISIS, had been declared unlawful, as they were found to be “radicalising Indian youths for global jihad and encouraging terror acts on Indian interests in the subcontinent”.

In the order, the MHA said the ISIS-K, also known as Islamic State in Khorasan Province, was had been committing terrorist acts to consolidate its position by recruiting youths for “global jihad” and to achieve the objective of establishing its own “caliphate” by overthrowing democratically elected governments.

AQIS is headed by Sanaul Haq, who hails from Sabhal district of UP, according to the MHA. — TNS