Islamic State modules make online strides' in Kerala

KOZHIKODE: The increasing  casualties of IS recruits  from the state in Afghanistan and Syria has forced the IS modules to open  new online campaign fronts  to intensify the radicalisation of youth in the state. More than ten recruits from the state were killed in the last few months in Syria and Afghanistan, according to intelligence agencies. The last of the campaign forum identified by the intelligence agencies is a Facebook group named ‘Gold Dinar’ which has more than 80 members.

The intelligence agencies have identified about 60 of them, according to sources. The recent death of Sameer Ali alias Shajeer Mangalassery Abdullah, a former student of National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NITC), who had been leading the online campaign, forced the groups to launch another forum. His FB wall provided space for IS propaganda till intelligence sleuths shut it down.      The Malayalam blog Al Muhajiraun run by him was another forum that produced  pro-IS publicity material.     Abdul Rashid Abdullah of Thrikkarippur  is presently leading the online campaign and recruitment drive from the Nanjarahar region in Afghanistan which extends an auxiliary support to the war front warriors.

It may be recalled that the death of five IS recruits has been confirmed by both IS campaign forums as well as intelligence agencies.  A video was released by IS media wing named  ‘Martyrs of Kerala’ on Tuesday through a telegram app ‘Kerala Xposed’. The martyrs were identified as Muhammed Murshid, Hafeesudeen, Yahia from Kanjikkode and  Palakakad and Shajeer Abdulla Mangalassery,  who were part of the 21-member group that went missing from the state in mid-2016.  A fifth victim yet to be identified is believed to be Sibi from Palakkad.  It is believed that Sibi has links with Yahya alias Esa who was missing from Palakkad earlier.