Al-Qaeda South Asian branch releases video honoring deceased members
Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has released a video paying tribute to its deceased key members, with the objective of increasing support and recruitment in the region. The video provides detailed biographies of five prominent members from Pakistan and Bangladesh who were killed in security operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan between 2012 and 2017.
The 49-minute Urdu-language video is the fifth episode of Al-Qaeda’s “The Righteous people” series produced by As-Sahab Subcontinent Media, released on June 25, 2025. Originally launched in 2016, the series was resumed by As-Sahab in August 2024 after an eight-year hiatus. The previous episode was released in March 2025. The series is intended to honor Al-Qaeda members from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh who were killed in jihadist operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan after 2001.
The video introduces 19 deceased Al-Qaeda members, including two from Bangladesh and the rest from Pakistan. It features various scenes depicting the lives of militants in green, mountainous regions, with most footage recorded in Pakistan’s Waziristan tribal district, where Al-Qaeda maintained strongholds until 2014. The footage includes the final messages of the deceased militants and recordings of their involvement in various attacks.
Five slain members:
This episode specifically highlights one Bangladeshi and four Pakistani members. Among the Pakistanis, two were from the districts of Dir and Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the other two were from Rahim Yar Khan and Faisalabad in Punjab.
The video begins with Maulvi Bahlol, also known as Abu Saif, from Dir, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan’s Kunar province in 2012. A former militant, Bahlol had previously fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan and Indian forces in Kashmir. After 2001, he joined Al-Qaeda and relocated to Waziristan, from where he was deployed and later killed in Kunar.
Commander Saifur Rahman, also known as Zakim, from Dera Ismail Khan, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Zabul province, Afghanistan, in November 2017. Zakim began his militant activities in 1997 by fighting in support of the Taliban in Afghanistan. He joined Al- Qaeda in Pakistan after 2001 and played a significant role in operations against security forces.
Muhammad Zubair, known as Commander Ayoubi, from Rahim Yar Khan, and Mian Muhammad Faisal, known as Furqan, from Faisalabad, joined Al-Qaeda in 2009 and relocated to North Waziristan. They were subsequently killed in 2015 in separate operations by U.S. and Pakistani forces in Kandahar (Afghanistan) and Sheikhupura (Punjab), respectively.
Saif-ul-Islam, also known as Abu Ibrahim, from Dhaka, Bangladesh, reportedly moved to Pakistan in 2009 and joined Al-Qaeda. He was killed in September 2015 during a clash with U.S. forces in the Shorawak area of Kandahar province.
