US offers bounties for al-Qaeda leaders in the Indian subcontinent

 

 

According to the Iraf website , the US State Department announced on November 24, 2025 (Monday, December 24) that it has set large rewards for information leading to the arrest of Osama Mahmood and Atif Yahya Ghori, senior leaders of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent.

These two figures have been at the head of this branch for nearly a decade and, according to Washington, have played an important role in supporting the Taliban and creating Al Qaeda’s infrastructure in Afghanistan.

The branch of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent was announced by Ayman al-Zawahiri in September 2014. In a video message, he described the establishment of the branch as the result of more than two years of efforts to gather jihadist forces in the Indian Subcontinent and emphasized that the group was in direct contact with the Afghan Taliban. Al-Zawahiri was killed in a US drone strike in Kabul in July 2022.

 

This branch has been involved in several terrorist operations in the region, including attempting to hijack Pakistani naval vessels and plotting attacks on US and Indian warships. It has also fought alongside the Taliban and played a role in the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.

 

The United States designated the group as a foreign terrorist organization in June 2016. However, many analysts believe that US military policies in Afghanistan have contributed to the rise of the Taliban and al-Qaeda-affiliated groups.

 

Who is Osama Mahmoud?

 

Mahmood, who previously served as the branch’s spokesperson, took over its leadership after Asim Umar was killed in September 2019. He is also known by the aliases Abu Zar, Attaullah and Zar Wali and is a Pakistani citizen. He is believed to have taken refuge in Afghanistan. The United States designated Mahmood as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in December 2022.

 

Who is Atef Yahya Ghori?

 

Ghori is also a Pakistani citizen and studied at the International Islamic University. After Ahmed Farooq was killed in a US drone strike in January 2015, Ghori was appointed deputy emir. He was also placed on the list of “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” at the same time as Mahmood in December 2022. The recent US action indicates Washington’s continued focus on Al-Qaeda leaders and Taliban-affiliated networks. However, the experience of recent years has shown that US military and security policies in the region have not only not led to a reduction in terrorism, but in some cases have paved the way for the spread of extremism.

 

These multi-million dollar awards reflect, above all, America’s efforts to demonstrate its commitment to fighting terrorism, although questions remain about the effectiveness and consequences of such policies.

 

The United States of America compiles the list of terrorist groups based on its national interests. Examples such as the terrorist groups of the MKO TERRORIST GROUP and Tahrir al-Sham, which were once on the US list of terrorist groups and were removed from this list after coordinating with the US government and working towards US national interests, show that this list of terrorist groups is a tool for creating a media wave and is devoid of any legal value.