A man from Kerala, who joined the Islamic State (ISIS) in October 2017, reportedly died in an American drone strike in Afghanistan on July 18.
According to sources, Muhammad Muhasin, a resident of Edappal town in Malappuram district in Kerala died along with Huzaifa-al-Bakistani, a key commander of the Islamic State in the Khorosan province of Afghanistan.
Bakistani was a highly trained Pakistani terrorist, who radicalised several Indian youths.
The news of Muhammad Muhasin's death was communicated to his family in Kerala via a WhatsApp message from an unidentified number from Afghanistan.
The text in the Malayalam language said, "Your brother was seeking martyrdom. Allah has fulfilled his wish as per his aspiration. He was martyred 10 days ago in a drone attack by the American forces".
"Please do not reveal this to the police, otherwise they will come to your home and start bothering you. Your brother doesn't want this", the message read.
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A number of people from the state, both men and women, have joined ISIS over the last few years. According to government data, accessed by ANI, the majority of people who have joined ISIS from Kerala are from the Kannur city of the state.
As on June 15, nearly 40 people including eight women, from Kannur, have joined the ISIS.
The data further reveals that over the last few years 98 people from Kerala joined the Islamic State, out of which 38 were killed and 60 are still alive and fighting for the terrorist organisation.
Besides Kannur, some misguided people from Kasaragod, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Eranakulam and Thrissur have joined ISIS. A majority of them were influenced by ISIS through social media.
According to sources, most of the pro-ISIS accounts of Malayalee groups are operated from the Gulf countries. These groups specifically target Muslims from Kerala.
The ISIS, which has made inroads in southern India, could potentially extend support to several radical groups like it did in Sri Lanka.