Srinagar: A man claiming to represent al-Qaeda in Kashmir said the terror network had set up a wing in Kashmir and appealed to Muslims to take up jihad, a news agency reported Thursday. An official said the government said it was taking the claim ‘very seriously.’
The man, who identified himself as Abu al-Hadeed, told Kashmir's Current News Service that ''who so ever has carried out the attacks in Mumbai we express our gratitude and happiness.''
As word of the announcement spread, a senior intelligence official in Kashmir said the call had been placed from a local landline phone that authorities were trying to trace.
''Our immediate effort is to locate the caller and ascertain the authenticity of the claim,'' said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with the media. ''The government is taking it very seriously.''
It was impossible to independently verify the caller's identity and if he actually represents a new wing of al-Qaeda.
The Mumbai train bombings on Tuesday killed at least 200 people and injured more than 700. Militants in Kashmir are being investigated for the attack, although two main rebel groups have denied responsibility.
There have been allegations that militants in Kashmir have ties to al-Qaeda, but Thursday's statement is the first time Osama bin Laden's network has claimed to have spread to the Indian territory.
''We appeal to Muslims in India to fight for freedom and Islam and choose jihad as their way to achieve freedom and establishing Islamic ways,'' al-Hadeed was quoted as saying. He added the Mumbai bombings ''are a reaction to what is happening to the minorities, especially Muslims in India.''
Al-Hadeed identified the network's Kashmir leader as Abu Abdul Rehman al-Ansari.
Current News said al-Hadeed spoke in Urdu. But he reportedly said: ''Henceforth our statements will be in Arabic.''
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