30 IB reports say Tamil Nadu remains favourite destination for ISIS

New Delhi, Dec 24: After Bengali, it is Tamil. These are the two preferred regional languages preferred by the ISIS which is propagating heavily in India.

While the Rajya Sabha was informed yesterday that Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials have found that pro-ISIS elements were posting messages in regional language, sources tell OneIndia that the maximum number of messages posted after English are in Tamil.

The ISIS since its advent has focused heavily on Tamil Nadu and it may be recalled that it netted its first recruit from this state.

There are at least 30 reports in the possession of OneIndia by the Intelligence Bureau which clearly state that the ISIS targets South India the most and Tamil Nadu in particular.

Why is Tamil Nadu the target?

After the fall of the LTTE, there has been a fight for space. We have in the past seen groups such as the Al-Umma and the Lashkar-e-Tayiba-e-Tayiba making attempts to set up shop in the state. While the Al-Umma has had an impact in Tamil Nadu, one could say that its reach has been limited.

The Lashkar-e-Tayiba made a serious attempt to capitalise on the situation and the ISI dashed off its officers to Colombo from where they were supposed to control operations in Tamil Nadu.

However, the police busted this module following the arrest of two Sri Lankan operatives who were gathering intelligence for the Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

It may also be recalled that the ISI had sent Amir Zubair Siddiqui who worked as a consular officer in the Pakistan High Commission in Sri Lanka. After this module was busted he immediately fled the country.

The ISIS realises that parts of Tamil Nadu with the influence of elements from Kerala have been heavily radicalised.

The ISIS began its wave in Tamil Nadu when a group of people posed with ISIS T-shirts and posted the same on their Facebook account.

Then came the Haja Fakkruddin case. He left for Singapore from Tamil Nadu on a work permit and from there fled to Syria. He is still believed to be working with the ISIS.

TN a gateway to South:

For any terror group, Tamil Nadu is a preferred destination as it opens the doors to India from the Southern part.

If the ISIS manages to set up shop in Tamil Nadu, then it gains control over all Southern states. If one looks at the manner in which the ISIS functions, it is clear that it relies heavily on the radicalised youth from Kerala, a state which has the maximum Wahabi influence.

The ISIS has also recruited heavily in Telangana and Karnataka and the India wide statistics would show that the maximum number of recruits are from these states.

There are at least 30 IB reports which speak extensively about the ISIS' plans for South India.

The Northern part of the country is dominated by groups such as the Lashkar-e-Tayiba or the al-Qaeda which follow the Salafi ideology.

The ISIS does also realise that they would have less scope up North and hence the focus would entirely be South, the report also states.

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