Indian Muslims aligned to ISIS could pursue Caliphate dreams more aggressively now

New Delhi, Aug 28: National security planners are closely watching the developments in Afghanistan following the deadly bombing at the Kabul airport, claimed by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).

The worry for the Indian agencies is that the ISIS which had set its eyes on India would use this attack as a recruiting tool especially in the southern states, where the traction has been high. Intelligence Bureau officials tell OneIndia that such incidents will only breathe more life into the radicals and they will now pursue their dream for the Caliphate even more aggressively.

The probe into the attack at the Gurudwara Har Rai Sahib in Shor Bazar area of Kabul revealed that one of the three gunmen was from Kerala. It was revealed that the man from Kerala went by the name Abu Khalid al-Hindi. His real name was Mohammad Muhasin and he was from Kasargod in Kerala.

The NIA has been investigating multiple cases relating to the ISIS. Cases have been registered in Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The one common factor that the NIA learnt about during the probe was that the ISIS operatives from India were primarily focusing on the establishment of a Caliphate.

During the initial days of the ISIS, several Indians moved towards Syria and Iraq to be part of the outfit. However in 2016 the trend changed and many went missing from the southern states. At first it was believed that they had travelled to Iran and were trying to move to Syria or Iraq.

It was only later did the Indians realise that these persons had travelled to Afghanistan to be part of the Islamic State Khorasan Province. The ISIS wanted more Indians in this outfit and had begun recruiting actively through its men in the southern states. One also witnessed another pattern in which it was found that several from Kerala were converted to Islam and then recruited into the Islamic State.

In its chargesheet against an ISIS operative, the NIA said that the outfit was in the process of setting up an ISIS Daishwilayah or province inside the jungles of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. When it was unraveled in 2020, the NIA said that this was the first of its kind plot.

The NIA in its chargesheet said that there were 20 members part of this module, which was headed by Mehboob Pasha, a Bengaluru based operative and Khaja Moideen from Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. They had planned on visiting Shivanasamudra in Karnataka and identify a place in the jungle where training could be imparted.

The official cited above said that these are dangerous trends. Terror recruitments thrive on attacks and the Kabul bombing could do just that in India. Intelligence agencies continue to keep a close watch on the ISIS in India, especially down south as much of the problem is there.The social media handles too are being closely monitored as most of the recruitments and radicalisation takes place online, the official also explains.