Islamabad: The newly formed breakaway faction of Pakistani Taliban on Friday announced its support for al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in a video message had announced the launch of new terror network for Myanmar, Bangladesh and India.
Jamatul Ahrar, the renegade faction's spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan in a tweet welcomed the move by Zawahiri.
"We welcome the setting up of al Qaeda branch in the sub-continent. We believe that the branch will work for the achievement of the rights of Muslims in this region," Ehsan tweeted in Urdu.
"We think the Muslims should stand up for their rights which can only be achieved through establishment of Islamic caliphate." ?
Asim Umar, a Pakistani national, has been appointed as head of al Qaeda faction for South Asia.
Jamatul Ahrar has recently separated from Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) headed by fugitive leader Mullah Fazlullah who mostly lives in border areas of Afghanistan.
Omar Khalid Khorasani has been appointed as chief of new faction.
He has support of several diehard rebels including Ehsan who has been active for the last several years.
The groups is known to have close links with al Qaeda which has been considerably weakened since the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan's Abbotabad city in 2011.
Pakistan in mid-June launched an operation against terrorists in North Waziristan where it has strong presence.
According to Pakistan military, so far more than 900 rebels have been killed.
There are also reports that several al Qaeda fighters have already shifted their base to Syria and Iraq.
