India, March 16 -- A resurfaced email from the trove of documents widely referred to as the Epstein Files has reignited a heated global debate over the origins of militant groups in the Middle East and the broader geopolitical strategies that shaped the region after the War on Terror.

The message, dated September 2016 and attributed to communications between financier Jeffrey Epstein and billionaire business figure Thomas Pritzker, references armed groups active in Syria and Iraq, including ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Jabhat al-Nusra. The document has circulated widely across social media and political commentary forums after being rediscovered in archives associated with investigations into Epstein's network and communications.

While the email...