Authorities concerned as more Keralites join ISIS

Team Udayavani, Jun 9, 2019, 5:12 PM IST

Kasaragod: Despite the fact that many people who have joined the dreaded ISIS organization have ended up dead, more people of Kerala origin are still joining the dreaded ISIS and the matter has become a real cause of concern for the authorities.

Just recently, one Rashid Abdulla from the state, who used to inspire people to join the ISIS and had travelled to Afghanistan sometime back, died in an operation in Afghanistan. Yet, the fact seems to have no effect on the people who are nonetheless joining hands with the terrorists.

Apparently, six persons have recently joined ISIS. There is information that Ashfaq Majeed, his wife, and four children, who left India during January this year, have joined ISIS as per information. It is learnt that the said people joined ISIS by flying to UAE from here and then reaching Nagarhar region in Afghanistan via Iran.

Ashfaq is from Velamhcherry in Malappuram while his wife is from Kuttyadi in Kozhikode and both were classmates when studying in an engineering college at Malappuram. Apparently, her family was not religiously inclined but she got attracted to the philosophy of ISIS. It is learnt that immediately after joining the ISIS Ashfaq contacted his mother through Telegram app, informing her that his entire family had joined ISIS.

There is also information that during January, two families from Kannur and an unmarried person had joined ISIS at Afghanistan. Anwar, his wife and three children reportedly were killed after they reached Afghanistan. According to the available information, most of the 20 people who joined ISIS from Kasaragod and Palakkad in 2016 have perished. There is no information about Sajid, his wife, and two children, as well as Nizamuddin, who also left India to join ISIS.

According to sources, Firoze from Kasaragod, who had joined ISIS after reaching Syria wants to surrender and had called a relative two months back to know about the procedure to surrender and the punishment et he might receive for his action if he came back. There are also reports that the ISIS has lost its relevance and its cadres are finding it hard to get food and water.