Ilyas Kashmiri, the operational chief of the Harkat-ul Jihad Islami (HuJI) and al Qaeda’s Brigade 313, is still alive it appears.
He was wrongly confirmed dead after the US September 14th airstrike in the village of Turikhel in Taliban-controlled North Waziristan.
Kashmiri was recently listed as the fourth most wanted terrorist by Pakistan’s Interior Ministry and is considered by US intelligence to be one of al Qaeda’s most dangerous commanders.
Ilyas Kashmiri is thought to have taken part in several terror actions such as last week’s assault on Pakistan’s Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
You can read more about his previous feats of arms here.
Today, Asia Times journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad publishes an interview with Ilyas Kashmiri in which he tells of his strategy for reaching his ultimate goal “the defeat of American global hegemony”.
“Should the world expect more Mumbai-like attacks?” asks the reporter. “That was nothing compared to what has already been planned for the future,” Ilyas replies.
You can (and should) read the whole interview here.