UN report raises concerns over attempts to establish Al-Qaida cell in Bangladesh

The United Nations Security Council has expressed concern that Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) is attempting to establish active cells or networks in Bangladesh, according to the 38th report of its Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team on Islamic State and Al-Qaida.

The report was published on Monday, 10 August. It assesses recent developments cited by member states, particularly in India and Pakistan, and covers the period from 16 December 2025 to 9 June this year.

The report refers to the November 2025 attack at Delhi’s Red Fort, for which the group was formally blamed. In that context, UN member states expressed concern over efforts to establish AQIS cells, or small organisational units, in Bangladesh.

The report says AQIS, which is not currently on the UN sanctions list, is gradually evolving from a fragmented group into a regional terrorist organisation. Instead of relying on larger organisational structures, the group is now operating through small, dispersed and decentralised cells. The report adds that it is also building logistical and financial networks.

According to the report, the overall global threat from Al-Qaida and Islamic State remains broadly unchanged, but has intensified in the Sahel and South Asia. Although Al-Qaida’s senior leadership is under some pressure, its ability to carry out large-scale international operations remains unclear.

The report also highlights continuing tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. It says regional tensions have increased as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has stepped up attacks in Pakistan. Although the Taliban in Afghanistan has publicly denied sheltering the TTP, the report states that its support has continued.

The group has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Pakistan, including one on 9 May this year. On that day, a suicide bombing and the detonation of an explosives-laden vehicle took place near a security checkpoint in Bannu, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing 21 people.

The UN monitoring team said the terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan remains unchanged. Numerous militant groups active in the country continue to pose long-term security risks to neighbouring states and Central Asia. The Taliban authorities, the report says, have conducted operations against Islamic State Khorasan (ISIL-K) and other groups, but have not been able to fully suppress the threat.

The report also raises concern over ISIL-K activities. It says the group has weakened somewhat in Afghanistan but has increased attacks in Pakistan and is in a phase of reorganisation. Member states also reported that the group has received training in urban warfare and drone operations, while using modern equipment, drones, night-vision devices and thermal imagers.

On Al-Qaida’s position, the report says the group’s propaganda outlet, As-Sahab Media Foundation, on 28 April publicly voiced support for anti-Pakistan activities by the Taliban and, for the first time, by the TTP. One member state also said Al-Qaida trainers in Afghanistan had provided training not only to the TTP but also to members of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

The report also details Al-Qaida and Islamic State activity in other parts of the world. In the Sahel, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), in Yemen Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and in Central Africa the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) are strengthening their positions. The report says these groups are also using kidnapping for ransom as a key tactic to raise funds and weaken local security forces.