New Delhi (Sputnik): An Indian analyst opines that the rise of Daesh* in Afghanistan is likely to have far-reaching security implications in the region and beyond, especially in China and Russia. Leading security analyst Qamar Agha spoke to Sputnik on the prospects of Daesh's rise and its ramifications on regional security.
Sputnik: Do you think Daesh is a serious threat to India?
Qamar Agha: Afghanistan is too close to India and if Daesh gets a strong foothold in Afghanistan, their next target would definitely be Kashmir. They will come via Pakistan and it will be a very serious threat to India. However, Indian forces have been quite capable of handling the militancy so far and I am sure they will manage in the future as well.
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Sputnik: Which other countries do you think are on the radar of Daesh?
Qamar Agha: They pose a threat not only to India but to China and Russia as well, because in both countries, militancy in certain parts already exists. In all probability, Daesh will try to fuel militancy in the Muslim-dominated areas of Russia and China.
Qamar Agha: It is most likely to infiltrate the Xinjiang province of China in which militant groups have links with Pakistan-based terrorist outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), [which are] already active. The LeT reportedly has already established links with the newly founded branch of Daesh in Afghanistan. Therefore, it would be very easy for Daesh to reach China through Pakistan.
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Sputnik: What kind of threat is Russia looking at?
Qamar Agha: Meanwhile, as far as Russia is concerned, the Chechens are already in Afghanistan; their camps are already there. The Chechens were earlier also part of al-Qaeda* in the Arabian Peninsula, which later became Daesh. So it has old links with the Chechens. Daesh will try to enter Russia through the Central Asian republics. They think the Russians are the ones who have driven out Daesh from Syria. So they nurture a grudge against Russia and they have some sleeper cells in Russian republics and they have some local support over there. They have also links with LeT and some other terror groups in this region. Somehow Russians have been able to suppress the Chechen movement but there are not dead but only their numbers have reduced. Daesh may try to revive it to fan out their ideology. So Russia has to be extremely cautious.
*Daesh and al-Qaeda are terrorist groups banned in Russia and other countries
The views and opinions expressed by Qamar Agha in this article are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.
