New Delhi : The November 2025 blast near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed 11 was carried out by an offshoot of the global terrorist organisation Al-Qaida, according to a report by the United Nations Security Council’s monitoring team. The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team’s report also noted that Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) remained active in southeastern Afghanistan and was seeking to exploit Bangladesh to establish operational cells.
“Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS, not listed) continued to evolve from a fragmented group into a regional terrorist entity; it established logistics and financial networks, working in decentralised small, scattered cells instead of large units. The blast took place on November 10, 2025, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device exploded near the Red Fort. The NIA identified Umar un-Nabi, a former assistant professor of medicine at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, as the primary perpetrator.
AQIS has evolved from a fragmented and weakened outfit into a more structured regional terrorist network. Rather than operating through large formations, the group is increasingly relying on small, decentralised cells that are more difficult for security agencies to detect and disrupt. The UN monitors also flagged the group’s logistics and financial networks, suggesting that AQIS has retained the capability to plan and support operations despite years of counterterrorism pressure.
The UN report separately highlights a sharp escalation in cross-border violence between Pakistan and Afghanistan during the reporting period. The Taliban’s de facto authorities have been accused of continuing to provide support to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has intensified attacks against Pakistani security forces. The rise in attacks has contributed to retaliatory military action and heightened tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The assessment underscores concerns among UN monitors that AQIS is increasingly focused on external operations and can operate through affiliated or umbrella structures, making attribution and disruption more difficult. Operatives have increasingly turned to AI tools, including ChatGPT, to seek information related to bomb-making and target selection.
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