Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has announced the formation of a wing of the militant group in India and its neighbourhood.
In the latest video posted online, al-Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri promised to spread Islamic rule and "raise the flag of jihad" across the "Indian subcontinent".
Zawahiri said the Indian wing "would rescue" Muslims in Bangladesh, along with other places in the subcontinent, from "injustice and oppression".
Al-Qaeda leader made the announcement in a 55-minute video message posted online, reports BBC.
The fresh announcement of al-Qaeda came six months after its call to Bangladeshi Muslims to join jihad. The previous call was made in an audio message which was released on mid-January.
Zawahiri described the formation of "Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent" as glad tidings for Muslims "in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Assam, Gujarat, Ahmedabad, and Kashmir" and said the new wing would rescue Muslims there from injustice and oppression, reported Reuters.
He urged the "Umma", or Muslim nation, to "wage jihad against its enemies, to liberate its land, to restore its sovereignty and to revive its caliphate".
"[Al-Qaeda] is an entity that was formed to promulgate the call of the reviving imam, Sheikh Osama Bin Laden. May Allah have mercy upon him," Zawahiri said.
Announcing the formation of "al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent", Zawahiri appeared eager to regain some of the limelight.
In his video message, Zawahiri pledged renewed loyalty to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
