NEW DELHI:
Only seven Indians are currently with ISIS in Iraq and Syria, just one in a combat role, while six from the country who had joined the dreaded terror network have gone down fighting.
Official sources said of the seven Indians with ISIS — two are from Mumbai’s outskirts Kalyan, and an Australia-based Kashmiri. Four others joined the Jihadist group from Telangana, Karnataka capital Bengaluru, Oman and Singapore.
Among the six Indians, who fought alongside the ISIS and got killed were three Indian Mujahideen terrorists, including Sultan Ajmer Shah and Bada Sajid, who had joined its ranks after being in Pakistan, two from Maharashtra and one from Telangana.
Quoting intelligence inputs, sources said, except for one, none of the six other Indians currently with ISIS are allowed to go for combat duty and mostly assist the fighters, serving as cooks, drivers and helpers.
The only Indian, who has been given an assault rifle and is deployed for combat, hails from Mumbai outskirts Kalyan, they said.
So far, 17 young men, mostly from Telangana, have been prevented from travelling to Syria, ostensibly to join ISIS.
The issue of radicalised Indian youths joining ISIS had figured prominently during a meeting of top security experts here on Saturday. (AGENCIES)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel