NEW DELHI: In a rare occurrence, al-Qaida has issued a threat to China in connection with the atrocities on Uighur Muslims there. Atef al-Awlaki, the chief of AQAP (al-Qaida in Arabian Peninsula), released a statement celebrating attacks on Jews and US nationals while warning China that its policies toward Uyghurs were being “closely monitored.”Awlaki’s statement warned that it would hold China ‘accountable’ and take action against Chinese interests on land and sea if it didn’t correct its ways.This has intrigued many as China has remained a low-priority target for al-Qaida, despite the group’s global jihadist ambitions, which see it operate in Kashmir and other parts of India. It even has a dedicated cell for the Indian subcontinent called the AQIS, whose first chief was a UP resident named Sanaul Haq, also known as Asim Umar.The statement, sources said, indicated that AQ cells were aggressively pursuing their alliance with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the group looking to separate Xinjiang from China. ETIM, also known as the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), is a Uighur separatist group whose primary goal is to establish an independent Islamic state called “East Turkistan” in the Xinjiang province of China.The statement, released by pro-AQ outlets on Telegram, exhorted Muslims globally to attack the Jews and the Americans. “You and I read about the military operations that took place on Jews and Americans around the world…And I pray to every Muslim with his pride, and every brave man in this world, to the initiative and the success of the dual evil (the Jews and the Americans) where they are found; They understand the evil and the substance and the water of the earth, they are the evil and the water of the water,” the statement released in Arabic read.“On the system of Chinese foreigners, we are well aware of every action that is being taken against the followers of Muslims, and we have not seen them – we have not seen the behaviour and practices of them – we have come today, we are not counting on all the things that are going towards them and we have followed them till the end of the day, we are looking at the good people, and we are getting closer….,” Awlaki added.Awlaki took over the reins of AQAP last year after its former chief Khalid Batarfi died mysteriously in March 2024. Awlaki is the relative of slain AQ ideologue, Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in an American drone strike in 2011.
