No threat from Al Qaeda, ISIS which India cannot deal with: NSA

New Delhi: There is no threat from either al Qaeda or ISIS of a magnitude which the country cannot deal with, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Tuesday said but asserted that security agencies were keeping a “very close watch”. [caption id=“attachment_1767519” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] NSA Ajit Doval said India was prepared to deal with any type of ISIS or Al Qaeda threat. Courtesy: YouTube[/caption] His comments came in response to a question at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in New Delhi on whether there was any major threat to India from al Qaeda and ISIS. “There is nothing as big or small terrorism. It is not on the basis of geography, but on the basis of groups, it is on the basis of capabilities and tactics. Any group, about whom we have information, that has the capability and intention to strike against would be our biggest targets,” he said. “I don’t think threats are of magnitude from either one of them which we are not in a position to cope,” he said. The NSA’s statement comes in the backdrop of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri’s video message about the creation of an Indian branch of his militant group to “raise the flag of jihad” across South Asia. There have been reports, some of which have been confirmed, of Indian youths, especially from Kalyan in Maharashtra, joining the ISIS. Concerns were raised after ISIS flags were recently raised in Kashmir. Doval, however, added that security agencies were keeping a close watch on the developments of both these terror groups. “But, we have to watch very very closely in case any of these relationships develop and in case they start targeting India or interest of India, we will have to take a very serious view,” he said. PTI