Al Qaeda Group In India Attacks Wrong Ship On First Mission
The first attack carried out by the recently unveiled branch of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent apparently went awry, as the militant group targeted the wrong ship at Karachi’s port.
According to The Telegraph, three of the Al Qaeda fighters were killed, while seven were taken into custody. The heavily-armed militants stormed a naval dock in Karachi’s port on Saturday night, attempting to attack what they believed was an American aircraft carrier. Instead, they found themselves assaulting a Pakistan Navy frigate, and were quickly overwhelmed by security forces before they could cause any damage. Two Pakistan navy guards were wounded during the altercation.
al-Qaeda India Attack Ends In Failure As Jihadists ‘Raid Wrong Ship’ http://t.co/s7kgnIlPiN #tcot #tlot #Infowars pic.twitter.com/oxyfQSAcpe
— Infowars Updates (@InfowarsUpdates) September 12, 2014
Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) claimed responsibility for the attack, according to The Huffington Post. In a statement issued on Thursday, the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Al Qaeda explained the militants’ intent.
“The Naval officers who were martyred on Saturday in the attack in Karachi were Al Qaeda members. They were trying to attack American marines and their cronies.”
According to a source close to the investigation, however, the Al Qaeda fighters were no match for security forces stationed at the port.
“It was a complete failure, they did not do any kind of damage, some were captured and we caught more, seven so far and may be more to come,” the source related. “They were well-equipped and came with the intention of taking a ship into their custody but they were caught in the initial stages.”
Pakistani officials also denied Al Qaeda’s claim that all of the attacking militants were former Navy members. Acknowledging that one had served, they also expressed skepticism that Al Qaeda had been behind the assault at all, citing the time between the attack and the militant’s statement. Investigators have suggested that Al Qaeda is actually taking credit for another group’s handiwork.
Al-Qaeda India branch’s first attack ends in dismal failure as jihadists ‘raid wrong ship’ http://t.co/fHSg9zyC8u pic.twitter.com/lkbzhPWBLm
— Andrew Marszal (@andrewmarszal) September 12, 2014
Al Qaeda also claimed in their statement that the attackers had successfully commandeered an American vessel but were thwarted by the Pakistan Navy. The raid is the second attack on the Karachi base in the last three years, after another incursion that took place in 2011.
The formation of AQIS is widely seen as a move aimed at establishing prominence for the organization among militants while the world’s attention is focused on ISIS, as The Inquisitr has reported. The new branch of Al Qaeda in India was announced earlier in September.
[Image via New York Daily News]
