Would-be jihadists are now more likely to join rival Islamic extremists ISIS

George Washington believed to have been nearby on day of the attack

The newly-formed branch of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent has botched its first attempt at a terror attack after jihadists mistook a Pakistani naval ship for a U.S. aircraft carrier.

Ten heavily armed militants from the terror cell had planned to storm an American military vessel in Karachi's sea dock - but found a Pakistani naval frigate in it's place.

The men were easily overwhelmed before they could do any damage, investigators said, with three of the militants killed and the remaining seven arrested.

Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri formally announced the founding of a terror cell in the Indian subcontinent two weeks ago in the hope of reviving his ailing extremist group, which has suffered diminishing support since the unprecedented rise of rival Islamic extremist group ISIS.

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Target? The vessel Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent tried to attack may have been the USS George Washington, which is believed to have been stationed off the coast of west Pakistan on the day of the incident

Location: Fishing boats are moored near a naval dockyard in Pakistan's port city of Karachi. On September 5, Al Qaeda militants attempted to storm a U.S. military vessel here, but found a Pakistani naval frigate in it's place

Despite the failure of the terror attack on September 6, Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent claimed responsibility - adding that the men involved were all former members of the Pakistani navy.

'The Naval officers who were martyred on Saturday in the attack on Karachi were Al Qaeda members. They were trying to attack American marines and their cronies,' the group said in a statement released last Thursday.

'The Pakistani military men who died defending enemies of the Muslim nation...are cursed with hell', they added, apparently still incorrectly believing the attacked vessel had been a U.S.aircraft carrier.

The craft the group intended to strike may have been the USS George Washington, believed to have been stationed off the coast of west Pakistan on the day of the incident, having left Japanese waters the previous day.

Investigators have also denied that the militants were all former members of the Pakistani navy, saying only one of the 10 men was from a naval background.

Rivalry: Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri (right) announced the formation of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent in the hope it would encourage would-be jihadists to join his waning group instead of ISIS - the terror group led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (left) that currently control vast swaths of the Syria and Iraq

News of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent's failure to carry out the terror attack was met with mockery by ISIS sympathizers on social media, who branded the group out of date

There were also suggestions that the attack may not even have been carried out by Al Qaeda at all, and that its increasingly desperate leadership is simply claiming credit for another group's botched work in the hope it makes them appear more active than they are currently capable of being.

This line of inquiry appears to be reinforced by the delay of five days between the failed storming and Al Qaeda's statement claiming responsibility - with the terror group likely waiting to see if the real culprits came forward to admit the embarrassing effort before claiming it for themselves.

A senior investigator speaking to the Telegraph described the attack as a 'complete failure' and suggested there may be further arrests relating to the incident.

'They were well-equipped and came with the intention of taking a ship into their custody but they were caught in the initial stages,' the unnamed source was quoted as saying.

The formation of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent was tailored to counter the flagging image of the group - which has suffered a reversal in fortunes since former leader Osama bin Laden died.

Decline: With an unprecedented wave of extremists pledging allegiance to rival Islamic extremist group ISIS (pictured), Al Qaeda is struggling to recruit new members to its cause and is even suspected of claiming responsibility for failed attacks it did not actually carry out in order to appear more active

CAMERON PREPARING TO JOIN AIR STRIKES ON ISIS... BUT ONLY AFTER THE SCOTTISH REFERENDUM David Cameron is preparing to join airstrikes on ISIS in the wake of the murder of British hostage David Haines - but will not move until after this week’s Scottish referendum, it was claimed today. The Prime Minister is under mounting pressure from MPs to act against the ISIS terror threat but has so far resisted calls to recall Parliament to authorise a bombing campaign in the Middle East. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond will attend a summit in Paris today in an attempt to forge a coalition of countries – including Arab states – into a military alliance to push back the jihadist advance. The Prime Minister will then attend the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday where he is expected to outline plans to combat ISIS. MPs have been told to expect to be recalled on the Thursday after the UN session, according to the Daily Telegraph. It comes after Mr Cameron attacked the ‘monstrous’ fanatics responsible for the murder of Mr Haines this weekend. Advertisement

Al Qaeda members have previously carried out atrocities such as the simultaneous United States embassy truck bombings in East Africa in 1998, the September 11 plane attacks in the United States in 2001, and the London Underground bombings on July 7, 2005.

But the group has lost direction and support since its founder Osama Bin Laden was killed by a team of U.S Navy Seals in Pakistan in 2011 - not least after subsequent leader al-Zawahiri blacklisted former Al Qaeda loyalists ISIS last year and condemning the group for exhibiting unnecessary brutality.

ISIS has since gained vast swathes of territory in the Middle East and attracted thousands of Western extremists to fight under its banner in Syria and Iraq - including at least 500 Britons.

Earlier this year ISIS' leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the terror group a 'caliphate' and declared himself a caliph - the spiritual leader of all Muslims worldwide.

The group has also carried out the sickening filmed murders of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and of the British aid worker David Haines.

News of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent's failure to successfully carry out the terror attack has been met with mockery by ISIS sympathizers.