The United States has announced rewards of up to $1 million for information leading to the capture of two senior leaders of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), Osama Mahmood and Atif Yahya Ghouri. Osama Mahmood carries a reward of $1 million, while Atif Yahya Ghouri is listed with a $500,000 reward.
According to U.S. authorities, both individuals are linked to major terrorist attacks, including the 2015 Dhaka attack and the 2016 murder of a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employee in Bangladesh. Tips can be submitted securely via Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, or Tor.
A statement on the Rewards for Justice (RFJ) website notes that in September 2014, then-Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri announced the formation of AQIS, appointing Asim Umar as its emir and Osama Mahmood as spokesperson. Mahmood had previously participated in several messages released by Al-Qaeda’s official propaganda arm, As-Sahab.
Subsequently, Asim Umar assumed a senior leadership role in Al-Qaeda’s central network, while Mahmood became the operational leader of AQIS. Born on September 2, 1980, Mahmood also known as Ataullah, Zar Wali, and Abu Zar is a Pakistani national believed to be residing in Afghanistan.
AQIS serves as a liaison among jihadi groups across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, and Pakistan. The group claimed responsibility for the February 26, 2015, knife attack on American citizens Roy and Rumi Rahman at a book fair in Dhaka, which resulted in Roy’s death and severe injuries to his wife, including the loss of fingers and multiple head wounds. AQIS’s Bangladesh branch also claimed responsibility for the April 26, 2016, murder of USAID employee Khulhaz Manan and his associate.
On June 30, 2016, the U.S. Department of State designated AQIS as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under an Executive Order, following earlier designation of central Al-Qaeda. On November 30, 2022, the U.S. specifically designated Osama Mahmood as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order 13224.
As a result of these designations, all assets and interests of Mahmood under U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with him. Deliberately providing or attempting to provide financial or other support to Al-Qaeda or AQIS is a federal crime.
The U.S. government urges anyone with information on Mahmood or Ghouri’s whereabouts to report it immediately through the RFJ program.
