Kerala's ISIS recruits find a new home in Nangarhar, Afghanistan

ISIS recruits from Kerala prefer Afghanistan to Iraq or Syria due to its proximity to India

Bengaluru, Oct 20: Over the past few months several people from Kerala have gone missing. After a detailed investigation was conducted, it was found that nearly 21 persons who had gone missing had in fact made their way to Afghanistan.

It has also been found that these people who were recruited by the ISIS, were told to go to Nangarhar in Afghanistan where the ISIS has set up the Wilayat Khorasan.

Indian agencies say that there are 67 from across the country who have gone missing and are today suspected to be part of an ISIS module.

Officials also state that in the days to come the ISIS will look to recruit more Indians and send them to Afghanistan instead of Iraq or Syria.

The ISIS has set up its base in Nangarhar and is attempting to recruit as many Indians as possible, Intelligence Bureau officials also say. It is tough conducting a search operation over there, officials point out.

Even the Afghan forces find it hard to find people in this area.

A mini-Kerala at Nangarhar

Fears regarding the spread of Wahhabism and extremism through radical online Islam have gripped Kerala. The state, which was in denial for long about the rise of Islamic extremism today, has woken up to the problem.

In fact several Muslim organisations in Kerala have come forward to sort out the problem. OneIndia earlier had reported that on the rise of an ISIS culture in Kerala

The National Investigation Agency which has been probing these cases says that the trail has led to Afghanistan. Almost all the recruits from Kerala including women have been transported to Nangarhar in Afghanistan.

Each of them was given a manual on how to prepare explosives. For now, it appears that they will function in the Afghanistan module known as the Wilyat Khorasan. However, one cannot rule out the possibility of these people being sent back to India over a period of time to stage attacks, the officer also adds.

It has also been found that the man behind these recruitments is Saeed Abdullah, also from Kerala. He has taken the lead when it comes to setting up the Afghanistan module for the ISIS. He has only gone for educated recruits, investigations have also shown.

Investigating officers say that the ISIS has been finding it very easy to recruit from Kerala. There appears to be a change in the mindset among many people in the state which has only made the recruitment process easier.

Moreover all the recruits from the state have been sent to Afghanistan. This has to do with the proximity to India which the recruits prefer. Many have not been open to the idea of going to Syria or Iraq.

Moreover the ISIS also feels that if an attack is to be launched in India, then transporting the cadres from Afghanistan is an easier option when compared to Iraq or Syria.