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, which also warned of the outfit’s expanding regional network.
Marking a significant development in the international assessment of the attack, 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. It said the Red Fort attack was the clearest evidence yet of the outfit’s growing terror capabilities.
“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 attack in November 2025 on the Red Fort in Delhi was initially attributed to AQIS. There was some concern about AQIS trying to exploit Bangladesh to establish cells there,” the report said.
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. He died in the explosion.
The NIA had identified that the module was inspired by AQIS and had planned the attack as part of a wider terror conspiracy. The latest UN assessment adds an international attribution to the findings of the anti-terror agency.
AQIS REBUILDING AS REGIONAL NETWORK
According to the report, 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 Red Fort attack is cited as evidence of the group’s renewed operational capability.
The report also raises concerns that AQIS could seek to expand its presence into Bangladesh by establishing new cells, potentially widening its operational footprint across South Asia.
PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN TENSIONS
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.
AQIS was also linked to attacks attributed to Ittihad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including a deadly suicide bombing and vehicle-borne explosive attack near a security post in Bannu.
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.
TERROR GROUPS INCREASINGLY USING AI
The UN report also highlights the growing use of artificial intelligence by terrorist organisations and their supporters.
According to the monitoring team, operatives have increasingly turned to AI tools, including ChatGPT, to seek information related to bomb-making and target selection.
The report said Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIL-K) has also been using AI to translate and disseminate propaganda rapidly across multiple languages, allowing the group to reach a wider audience.
The UN monitors further flagged the continued interest of terrorist groups in chemical and biological weapons. ISIL’s English-language publication Invade reportedly carried material this year relating to botulinum toxin and cyanide, highlighting the persistence of the group’s interest in unconventional weapons.
UN SANCTIONS LIST REVISED
The UN sanctions regime also underwent changes during the reporting period. Three individuals were added to the terrorism sanctions list, while seven individuals were removed.
In a significant development, the listing of the Al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was formally removed from the sanctions list on February 27, 2026.
The latest assessment comes as the UN monitoring team continues to warn that terrorist organisations are adapting their structures, financing, propaganda and operational methods to evade counterterrorism measures.
The AQIS attribution of the Red Fort blast is particularly significant for India, as it places the November 2025 attack within the broader regional network of Al-Qaida-linked activity identified by the UN.
– Ends
Published By:
Karishma Saurabh Kalita
Published On:
Aug 13, 2026 09:41 IST
