The Islamic State, the Indian Sub-Continent & its Neighbourhood

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Gus
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

Post by Gus »

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 976372.cms
NEW DELHI/KOZHIKODE: Four youths from Kerala detained by the UAE for allegedly revealing sympathies with the Islamic State on social media were deported on Tuesday. While two men arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport, the other two reached the Karipur international airport in Malappuram.

Intelligence agencies met the youth on arrival and questioned them on their association or links with the IS or their recruiters. They were debriefed, counseled and then allowed to go home. No charges are being pressed as they were only part of a group comprising a Bangladeshi and an Indian who had actually joined IS and travelled to Syria/Iraq to fight its "war". While the Bangladeshi is believed to have been killed, the fate of the Indian is not known.

"Nothing serious has been found against the detained Indians deported so far, though the UAE, as part its policy to strictly deal with those trying to reach out to IS, has decided not to let them live on its soil," an intelligence official told TOI.

The identification of Indian nationals with links to IS adds to the numbers of Indian youth who have either joined the outfit or are in contact with elements looking to radicalize and recruit them. These are over and above the 17 Indians who have already joined the IS and 25 others who have been prevented from joining the outfit.

The rising numbers of Indians gravitating towards IS will re-ignite the debate on how to deal with those returning after a dalliance with the outfit. The government and the security establishment will have to consider whether to prosecute them or treat them as misguided youth and de-radicalize them.

According to sources, Malayalee youth in Ras Al Khaimah, who are from well-to-do families doing business in the UAE, formed a group in April 2014. Sources said they were from Sunni families and got radicalized by an obscure Salafi group in the UAE. They were slowly drawn to the IS through online propaganda and social media network of the outfit.

According to intelligence sources, there are some more Indians still under detention in the UAE. They are likely to be deported as well, in the coming days. With IS becoming a major security threat to middle east regimes and drawing recruits and donations from Gulf nations, UAE has taken a tough stance on any likely volunteers and sympathizers.

Tuesday's deportation follows the UAE sending back Afsha Jabeen, alias Nicky Joseph, who was allegedly involving in recruiting youth for IS.

As reported by TOI on September 4, around 13 Indians (eight in Abu Dhabi and five in Dubai) were detained by the UAE authorities in early August on charges of planning to join IS and recruiting, financing and providing logistics to those desirous of joining the outfit.

According to intelligence sources, UAE security services came across two groups of people hailing from India, based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, who were involved in sharing and discussing issues pertaining to IS on social media. The groups included a couple of Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals.

The UAE authorities initially suspected that the 13 Indians were planning to travel, one by one, to Syria, possibly via Yemen or Turkey, and were in the process of organizing funds and logistics. However, as they investigate the charges, they are clearing the youth one by one while also ordering them to be deported to India.

Four Malayalees had returned to Kerala even before the police swooped down. The UAE police kept the youth in custody and have started sending them back to India. As part of community policing, UAE authorities have subjected the youth to counselling to de-radicalize them.

Another two or three batches will arrive in Kerala in the coming days. Security agencies in Kerala have been lenient on the returned youth as most of them have already realized the dangers of radical thinking. "Kerala Police could have registered cases against them but they were let off after counselling sessions," a source said.
1. most definitely Doval's dealings with UAE is behind this. good work by him.

2. hopefully the family will keep the "misguided youth" in close monitor and change their ways from this IS leanings. This is tricky as harsh action can backfire in terms of assorted radicals rallying to their cause. but how much can one overlook and allow to go free. what is the line. hope the agencies are clear on this.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

Post by SSridhar »

It is good that the UAE is deporting these IS sympathizers. One hopes that GoI keeps them under close observation, as strictly as the UAE did.

However, UAE is following a strange policy. If it allows Salafi & Wahhabi groups to freely roam about their territories and preach, the Emiratis themselves will flock to IS.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Jamaat-e-Islami to launch campaign against ISIS - ToI
KOZHIKODE: Jamaat-e-Islami has decided to actively campaign against the Islamic State, terming it as anti-Islamic and a challenge to humanity.

Addressing a news conference in Kozhikode on Tuesday, Jamaat leaders said the IS is trying to push the world back to the days before the Prophet, which is marked by primitive tribal life. "The present Caliphate envisaged by the IS a fake one and mockery of real Islamic Caliphate," Jamaat Kerala amir, M I Abdul Azeez said.

"The IS is wrongly interpreting the Quran to suit its needs. The hatred towards other religion professed by the IS unheard off in Islam," he said. Jamaat leaders said that the role of the imperialists, who wanted to destabilise the Middle East, in creating outfits such as IS also cannot be rules out.

They said it is heartening to see that the Western countries are welcoming the refugees. At the same time, the callous indifference shown by the Arab countries to the refugee crisis should be condemned.

Jamaat-e-Islami will organise state-wide programmes on September 23 declaring that 'IS is not Islamic' and expressing solidarity with the refugees. A meeting will be organised in Kozhikode on September 19 against IS terror, in which representatives of other Muslim organisations and social and political leaders will attend.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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From amateur DJ to jihadist - G.Anand, The Hindu
Twenty-four-year-old Riyab-ul-Rehman’s progression from an amateur “disc jokey” to an Islamic State (IS) jihadist seemed to have happened over three years.

The Kerala youth, against whom a case was registered on Tuesday “for joining the proscribed terrorist organisation,” looked “meticulously groomed” when he visited Kozhikode, his home town, in 2009, say the State police.

Rehman had done most of his schooling in affluent Ras al-Khaima, UAE, where his parents were employed for long. He had a penchant for partying, dancing and Western music.

In 2012, Rehman visited Kozhikode again. He had changed by then. He sported a beard, had a cultivated dishevelled look and preferred loose-fitting Afghan style robes. His outlook had also changed. He became taciturn and fervently religious.

The police said Rehman had come under the thrall of a “radicalised” Bangladeshi school mate of his in 2012. The UAE believes Rehman’s “mentor” to have been killed in Syria this year.

The “Jihadist tutor” had apparently fed Rehman a diet of IS propaganda videos, including speeches of Anwar-al-Awlaki, an influential jihadist preacher who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2011.

Rehman’s online activity showed he had a liking for IS anthems and poetry that promoted a martial culture rooted in martyrdom. The youth was adept in Arabic, Hindi, Urdu and English.

A man-missing complaint lodged by Rehman’s parents in April alerted the UAE police to his “defection” to IS ranks in Syria.

Local authorities mined Rehman’s online history and stumbled upon the WhatsApp group shared by his school friends. The UAE police have detained them. So far, they have deported eight of Rehman’s friends. At least 45 more of his friends and their families have been listed for deportation, officials said.{We don't know how many of them could be Indians. That is a sobering thought.}
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Indians can’t be allowed to travel abroad to fight Islamic State, govt says - PTI
Allowing Indians to take part in the conflict in Iraq or Syria would "directly result in sectarian conflict" in the country and amount to promoting terrorism, the government has said while defending its refusal to allow members of a religious body to go to Iraq to protect holy shrines there from ISIS activities.

In an affidavit filed before the Delhi high court, the Union home ministry has said that "allowing any sect to take part in the conflict in Iraq or Syria would have repercussions on other sects in India. This could directly result in sectarian conflict within India, which is not in the interest of the nation."

It said the visit of a six-member delegation of Anjuman-e-Haideri (AeH), which was disallowed from going to Iraq, "was primarily meant to discuss modalities of sending registered volunteers to protect holy shrines in Iraq."

"Indian citizens cannot be permitted to go to a foreign country with a declared objective of taking part in any conflict in such foreign countries as the safety and security of such persons would be at stake and it would adversely impact friendly relations with foreign countries.

"Allowing an Indian to go to another country to take part in a conflict (which amounts to taking part in terrorist activities) would lead to the allegation that Indian government is promoting terrorism in other countries," the home ministry's affidavit said.


The affidavit was filed by the home ministry in response to a plea by advocate Mehmood Pracha who had questioned the government's decision to issue a look-out circular against him to prevent him from travelling to Iraq to do relief work and oppose ISIS activities there.

The home ministry said the activities of the religious organization AeH, of which Pracha is a member, in "attempting to mobilize members of a particular sect of the community in India to participate in a conflict in a foreign country are in absolute contravention of the law and stated policy of the country".


The Home Ministry said its action to off-load the delegation was "strictly in accordance with law and no constitutional rights of the petitioner have been violated in any manner".

It said if the volunteers were allowed to go into conflict zones, they "could get radicalized and on their return, could indulge in extremist activities in India too".
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

Post by ramana »

Isn't there a law that Indian citizens cannot participate privately in foreign wars?

And does the Delhi HC need to hear an argument on this?
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

Post by Paul »

Image

Part of poem written by Maulana Altaf Hussein Hali, famous Urdu scholar. translated by @bhAratenduH ji
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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ramana wrote:Isn't there a law that Indian citizens cannot participate privately in foreign wars?

And does the Delhi HC need to hear an argument on this?
Exactly. That's how cases pile up in our courts. The Registrar (or whoever registers cases for hearing) should simply have rejected it at that stage itself as being frivolous and devoid of substance. The court cannot also interfere in normal discharge of law by a government.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Tough job hunt awaits IS returnees - Bharti Jain, ToI
Even though the Kerala police and intelligence agencies are not pressing charges against the youth deported from the UAE for being in touch with ISIS recruits, there is a realisation that with their identities now in the public domain, they could face difficulty in getting jobs in India.

While the home ministry and intelligence agencies are still discussing how to deal with their loss of livelihood, with all forced to give up their jobs in the UAE and staring at the bleak prospect of landing any employment here in view of their deportation, they feel it should serve as a deterrent to all other Indians, particularly those based in the Gulf, from indulging in similar dalliances on the social media with elements linked to ISIS.

Four of the youth deported on Tuesday from the UAE have reportedly been identified as Anas and Aromal Sadanandan (a Hindu) from Kollam, Riyaz from Calicut and Salim from Malappuram.

Home ministry sources here claimed that none of the deported Kerala youth were found to have any plans or aspirations to join the ISIS. "They were picked up by the UAE for being part of a group of friends, of which two became radicalized and left for Syria/Iraq to fight for the ISIS. They remained in touch with the two ISIS recruits, a Bangladeshi and an Indian national named Riyab-ul-Rahman, via social media and e-mail, often enquiring about their life in Iraq/Syria. The UAE tracked this online activity and detained the members of the group based in its territory," said a senior official.

While the Bangladeshi recruit is believed to have been killed, the fate of Rahman is not known. Sources said a case was registered by the Kerala police on Tuesday against Rahman at Karipur police station.

"As for the deported youth, it seems that that the UAE authorities, upon investigation, found that they had no plans to work for or promote ISIS. They were eventually cleared of the charges but UAE, as part of its no-tolerance approach towards residents reaching out to ISIS or its members via social media, decided not to let them stay back and got them deported to India," the official added. {One really appreciates the UAE for the tough stand they have been taking. Now, if only they stop funding these terrorist organizations that would go a long way in containing wahhabi/salafi/deobandi-infused jihadi sunni islamist terrorism worldwide.}

Indian agencies, which got in touch with the deported youth as soon as they landed in India, have confined themselves to debriefing them and assessing their possible linkages to ISIS. "As part of our 'soft' approach towards youth who only show interest in online content related to ISIS or are in touch with active members but not inclined to join the outfit, we are not pressing charges against the deported Malayalees," said an intelligence officer.

But the officer did not rule out charging some other UAE-based Keralites in the future if found to be more actively "involved" with the ISIS. "The idea is to have a case-by-case approach. For instance, while we are not booking the deported Keralites, we have filed a case against lSIS recruiter Afsha Jabeen as she was wanted by India for trying to lure Indian youth. Similarly, Mehdi Masroor Biswas was using Twitter to actively promote ISIS and propagate its ideology, and was hence charged," the officer pointed out.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

Post by Sachin »

In the mean while 100% literacy, 100% "secular" education and "evil communal forces" from the Naarth clearly kept at an arm's distance is providing many more Keralites an opportunity to join ISIS. But looks like the central intelligence agencies is playing spoil sport.
ISIS Link: Probe On Couple Begins In Kannur (English report)
ഐ.എസ് ബന്ധം. കണ്ണുർ സ്വദേശികൾ ആയ ദമ്പതിമാർക്കെതിരെ ഐ.ബി അന്വേഷണം (Malayalam report).

PS: Kannur district is also one place in North Kerala where the uber-secular, progressive and liberal CPI(M) has a tenacious hold.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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More information on the above case.
Informal probe into missing couple’s IS links - Mohd. Nazeer, The Hindu
The local police have begun an informal investigation following a media report that a local youth and his wife, reported missing from Dubai, are suspected to have contacts with the Islamic State (IS), even though the police were yet to receive any formal information about the couple.

A media report quoting Central intelligence agency sources recently said that they were on the lookout for the youth hailing from Valapattanam here and his wife who is from Mahe.

Both have been reported missing from Dubai after they went to Turkey in early 2014.

According to the report, the agencies suspected that the couple could have joined the IS.


No information

The police said that they had no information regarding the reported investigation by the Central agencies into the whereabouts of the couple. The police are anticipating a dossier on the couple from the agencies.

Sources said the police would look into the antecedents of the youth to find out whether he had been involved with any local extremist outfit or in any case of violence.

The police here said that after they get the dossier they would keep a tab on those with whom he had contacts before he left for Dubai. The probe will remain informal as there is no case registered here, they said, adding that the police would act only on the basis of clear evidence. The report about the couple comes at a time when the State has woken up to the fact that some Keralites working in Gulf countries have developed links with the IS. A few days ago some youths were deported from Dubai for their alleged links with the IS. Police sources said that their questioning of the deported people was expected to provide information on the exposure of Keralites in the Gulf to the IS ideology.

Campaign against IS

Meanwhile, the Jamaat-e-Islami, a prominent Islamic organisation, is organising a public function in Kozhikode on September 19 as part its campaign against the IS. The campaign is being organised with the objective of deterring Muslim youths from being drawn to extremist outfits.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Government Closely Monitoring Activities Related to ISIS in India - PTI
In the wake of reports that ISIS was trying to lure Indian youths, government today said it is closely monitoring the activities connected with the dreaded terror outfit in the country and taking necessary action.

"The matter is closely being watched by the concerned agencies. Whenever required, action will be taken," Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

He was responding to a question on deportation of four Kerala youths from United Arab Emirates for their alleged links with ISIS.

"We will take action at an appropriate time," he said.

Asked about reports of a Delhi girl planning to join ISIS, Rijiju said government has taken note of the issue.

"We have taken note of it. The agencies have taken certain action and I believe those are right action," he said.


On September 15, UAE deported four Indians suspected to have links with ISIS and it is expected to send back the same number of people soon.

About a fortnight ago, the UAE had sent back a 37-year-old woman, Afsha Jabeen alias Nicky Joseph, who was allegedly involving in recruiting youths for ISIS.

Meanwhile, reports suggested that father of a Delhi girl has approached the National Investigation Agency saying that his daugther was inclined to join the ISIS and suspected that she had been radicalised while studying in Australia.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

Post by arun »

X Posted from the Islamism thread.

Exposure to Mohammaddenism while doing further studies in Australia despite being raised Hindu, influences daughter of a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the Indian Army to attempt to join Mohammadden terrorist outfit, Islamic State aka ISIS aka ISIL aka IS.

Parental vigilance seems to have paid off here with the young women prevented from joining the Mohammadden Terrorist outfit IS and is now also being provided counseling:

Dad’s tip-off stops Hindu girl from joining IS
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

Post by SSridhar »

Hats off to the Dad for doing what he had to do.

I hope that we are able to effectively de-radicalize such minds though I remain skeptical.

We should not remain under any illusion about the growing influence of the IS on young and impressionable Indian minds.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

Post by shiv »

arun wrote:X Posted from the Islamism thread.

Exposure to Mohammaddenism while doing further studies in Australia despite being raised Hindu, influences daughter of a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the Indian Army to attempt to join Mohammadden terrorist outfit, Islamic State aka ISIS aka ISIL aka IS.

Parental vigilance seems to have paid off here with the young women prevented from joining the Mohammadden Terrorist outfit IS and is now also being provided counseling:

Dad’s tip-off stops Hindu girl from joining IS
I recall reading that Islamic State motivation videos feature some of the best looking and glamorous sexy young men who are chick magnets. Lots of the young wimmens who get attracted are probably falling for the romance of excitement, danger and some imagined freedom - something on the lines of Abba's song "Fernando"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQsjAbZDx-4
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Kerala Muslim groups cold to campaign against IS - Mohamed Nazeer, The Hindu
Even as different Muslim organisations in Kerala have vowed to campaign against religious extremism in response to fears about exposure of Muslim youths to the Islamic State (IS) ideology, a common reaction to the dangers of the radicalisation has failed to emerge thanks to the deep rift among them over various issues.

The public function organised by the Jamaat-e-Islami in Kozhikode on September 19 as part of its campaign against IS was purported to have been attended by leaders of different factions of orthodox Sunnis and the Mujahid movement, besides Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and others.

None of the leaders of the Sunni and Mujahid factions turned up at the function {I don't understand what these factions mean in the context of Kerala, any Kerala Watcher can clarify?} which was inaugurated by Congress leader and MP M.I. Shanavas, after Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty, who was supposed to inaugurate it, excused himself from attending it.

“IS being a modern version of Salafism and political Islam, the Jamaat-e-Islami founded by Abul Ala Maududi carries their legacy,” said Hameed Channamangaloor, author and critic of fundamentalism in Islam. He told The Hindu that the Jamaat-e-Islami here was now forced to take a stand against the jihadist political Islam that its founder espoused. What the IS was doing now, including the destruction of historical monuments, was what Salafists had done in Saudi Arabia, he noted.

“Maududi was an ideologue of Islamic religious state and IS was inspired by the thoughts of Maududi and Egyptian Islamist thinker Syed Qutb,” said A.K. Abdul Hameed, leader of the Sunni faction loyal to Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musaliyar.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Five reasons why India should not join war on ISIS
Sending our troops to Iraq and Syria would not only be a financial disaster, it would divert us from our fight against Pakistan sponsored terror.

Ever since he has become the prime minister, Narendra Modi's exploits have never ceased to amaze everyone. Right from holding audiences spellbound with his enthralling speeches to announcing Make in India programme, he has hardly spared any opportunity to project India as an emerging superpower. But his latest proposed exploit might turn out to be a disaster.

Today, Tehelka published an article which states that India will be sending troops to fight the ISIS in Iraq and Syria and an official announcement might be made during US President Obama's Republic Day visit. Apparently, this decision has been taken by the Modi government at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, which was attended by US Secretary of State John Kerry and it has been a long pending demand of the US government.

Well, although truly ambitious, it is totally not advisable for India to engage in a war against ISIS.

Here are five reasons why:

1. No prior experience on foreign soil: Unlike the US and other Western nations, India doesn't have any experience in foreign combat missions and fighting on foreign soil. On the other hand, US and NATO troops have been constantly engaging in various wars such as in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, etc, but Indian troops do not have any prior experience in engaging in combat missions. India's only foreign mission was in Sri Lanka, when Rajiv Gandhi sent Indian Peace Keeping Forces to curb tensions between Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam (LTTE) and Sri Lankan government. The three year engagement resulted in the loss of more than 1,200 soldiers and allegedly led to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.

2. Dealing with Pakistan: At a time when Pakistan has not stopped financing and sending terrorists to India despite the Peshawar attack, such a mission would dilute India's focus on Pakistan sponsered terror. With the recent ceasefire violations and the terror boat blow-up near Gujarat coast, it appears that Pakistan would continue to support terror groups like Lashkar to propagate violence against India. Therefore, India should continue to fight Pakistani terror with the same intensity and force. Any complacency could result in terrible repercussions.

3. Internal insurgencies: Naxalism has affected India badly and its growth in northern states is a cause for serious concern. Present in almost 223 districts across 20 states, it continues to bleed India and none of the previous governments hasn’t been able to broker peace with them. Moreover, the recent massacre of tribals by Bodo militants reiterated the importance to tackle the menace of North-East insurgent groups. India’s internal insurgencies pose a serious threat to India’s integrity and sovereignty, which still haven’t been tackled completely and therefore, Modi’s proposed plan will severely endanger India’s internal security.

4. Enormous costs: A foreign mission in Iraq and Syria will cost the Indian exchequer massively. As per estimates, the US government spends $300,000/hour for their air strikes against the ISIS, which is definitely unaffordable for India. Recently, India’s health budget, which is already extremely low, was slashed, citing lack of money. Hence, at a time when India’s financial situation is not positive, engaging in a war against ISIS will be a financial debacle. Instead, the government should focus on spending the country’s resources into sectors like health, education, child development, social welfare programs, etc.

5. Breeding ground for terror groups: The forced conversion issue is already being leveraged as an issue by Muslim extremist and fundamentalist groups to recruit more members. Sending troops to Iraq and Syria might further cause resentment among the Indian Muslims and provide the opportune breeding ground for ISIS as well as Indian terror groups like Indian Mujahideen, Students Islamic Movement of India, etc which will further increase the possibility of Jihadi attacks in India.
Last edited by Tuan on 22 Sep 2015 17:09, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Pak. may join anti-IS coalition - PTI
Pakistan is considering a U.S. request to join a multinational coalition against the Islamic State terror group, which has become the most formidable threat to peace after al-Qaeda, officials said.

The U.S. has requested Pakistan to join the Sahel to South Asia alliance, Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said, adding that Pakistan is waiting for “details”.

IS has seized hundreds of square miles in Iraq and Syria. But both civil and military leadership is in a fix as joining the coalition will bring domestic backlash.

“Joining a new war will be difficult to sell in the country due to opposition from political and religious groups,” a security official said. But remaining out of the new group may increase isolation of the country which already faced international criticism for “not doing enough” against the war on terror.

Pakistan is also wary of possible reaction from Saudi Arabia as Islamabad refused to join a coalition led by Riyadh in Yemen. “Now joining the new group may further anger the Saudis who are already not happy with Pakistan over the issue of Yemen,” the official said.


Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is travelling to New York this week to attend the U.N. General Assembly annual session. He is expected to visit the U.S. again next month on an official trip to meet President Barack Obama.

According to government sources, he is expected to have something to show the Americans that Pakistan is not a reluctant ally as it is generally perceived in Washington. Experts believe that the decision to join anti-IS alliance would need support of Parliament.

The government sources said that by joining the new coalition, Pakistan can expect that monetary assistance from the so-called Coalition Support Funds to continue to flow, which otherwise is likely to be stopped after 2015. — PTI
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

Post by Tuan »

IMO, what we need is that the world to come together and put ISIS to bed, since we all agree that they need to be stopped. Other than NATO, Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and many others all agree this needs to stop, heck even the Al Qaeda and Taliban think they are too extreme. If for a moment it would be nice if we could all work together to end this non-sense with ISIS, then we can focus on other issues. We can’t solve all the problems at once, but if ISIS were to be relegated to a 4th line terrorist organization, it would make things easier all over the world.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Deported woman had no direct IS links: official - Vijaita Singh, The Hindu
Investigators have found no direct link between the Hyderabad woman who was deported from the UAE and militant outfit Islamic State (IS), highly placed sources said.

Afsha Jabeen, a mother of three, was deported for allegedly recruiting men on behalf of the IS. Sources said that though she was largely into motivating people to convert to Islam, any direct link with the IS leadership has not emerged so far.

Jabeen alias Nicole Joseph was arrested on September 11 from the Hyderabad airport.

She was hugely popular on social networking site Facebook and the accounts she ran had over 60,000 followers, informed sources said. The Facebook groups were closed ones and before she was arrested, Jabeen deleted most of the content. She was running pages like ‘Islam vs Christianity,’ ‘Who is real Islamist?’ ‘Daula Islamic’ and ‘Real Jihadi.’

A senior government official said: “She was mostly into conversion and radicalisation :shock: but to say that she was doing so at the behest of IS would be exaggerated.”
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Thousands Enter Syria to Join ISIS Despite Global Efforts Eric Schmitt & Somini Sengupta, NY Times
Nearly 30,000 foreign recruits have now poured into Syria, many to join the Islamic State, a doubling of volunteers in just the past 12 months and stark evidence that an international effort to tighten borders, share intelligence and enforce antiterrorism laws is not diminishing the ranks of new militant fighters.

Among those who have entered or tried to enter the conflict in Iraq or Syria are more than 250 Americans, up from about 100 a year ago, according to intelligence and law enforcement officials.

President Obama will take stock of the international campaign to counter the Islamic State at the United Nations on Tuesday, a public accounting that comes as American intelligence analysts have been preparing a confidential assessment that concludes that nearly 30,000 foreign fighters have traveled to Iraq and Syria from more than 100 countries since 2011. A year ago, the same officials estimated that flow to be about 15,000 combatants from 80 countries, mostly to join the Islamic State. . . . ..

Despite Pentagon reports that coalition strikes have killed about 10,000 Islamic State fighters, the group continues to replenish its ranks, drawing an average of about 1,000 fighters a month. The government several months ago last publicly assessed the flow at “more than 25,000,” including at least 4,500 from the West. Given the region’s porous borders, American officials emphasize that their figures are rough estimates not precise head counts, based on allies’ reports on citizens’ travel and other intelligence, which vary by country.

“By now there is a ‘network effect’ where friends, family are bringing along other friends and family,” said Daniel L. Byman, a counterterrorism expert who is a professor at Georgetown University and a fellow at the Brookings Institution. . .. .

Perhaps most far-reaching, a new law requires Internet companies to provide the French government with metadata in real time, at the request of intelligence agencies, in suspected terrorist cases.

Still, France finds itself reeling. Its Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, told the French Parliament this month that 1,800 French citizens and residents are believed to be enlisted in jihadist networks worldwide. Among them close to 500 are still in Syria and Iraq, and 133 have died in combat.

Image

Red dots - Attacks directed by/linked to IS
Red Circles - Attacks inspired by IS
Black circles - Arrests of suspected ISIS militants
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Islamic State planning to target Delhi and Rajasthan: Intel agencies - Raj Shekhar, ToI
Central intelligence agencies have alerted Delhi and Rajasthan Police of possible terror strike by the Islamic State.

Delhi Police's intelligence unit has forwarded the threat perception alert to special cell of Delhi Police.

Central intel agencies have said a possible strike by Islamic State is eminent {sic} in the coming festive season. Sources say the attack could be a lone wolf type or could be carried out by a module of two or three.

IS has used social media to radicalize youth and nearly 40 youngsters have been tapped by them in recent months, say sources.
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Islamic State claims responsibility for killing Italian aid worker in Dhaka
An Italian aid worker has been killed in the high security diplomatic area in Dhaka, the first attack claimed by the Islamic State in Bangladesh.

Cesare Tavella, 50, was shot thrice from a close proximity on Monday evening in market Gulshan diplomatic zone while he was jogging, police said.

The attackers fled the scene after Tavella fell to the ground. He was rushed to a nearby private hospital where doctors declared him dead, police said. Tavella was working for the Netherlands-based ICCO Cooperation as manager of its Profitable Opportunities for Food Security (PROOFS) project, a police spokesman said.

“We are not clear who killed him but we think it was a pre-planned murder,” Dhaka’s police commissioner Ohiduzzaman Mian told reporters. A fellow official confirmed that the killers did not take away the moneybag or his cell phone, indicating that the murder was not carried out by ordinary muggers.

In a statement issued in Arabic, the Islamic State (IS) claimed that it killed Cesare, SITE Intelligence Group said. Security officials here said this could be the militant group’s first attack in Bangladesh.

The US and Britain, meanwhile, alerted their nationals in Bangladesh asking them to be cautious in their movements here while Dhaka was trying allay the security concerns of Cricket Australia, which is seeking assurances from its Bangladesh counterpart before proceeding with the team’s trip.

Four secular bloggers have been hacked to death in Bangladesh since the start of the year. The al-Qaeda linked militant groups have been blamed for their brutal murders. However, this is the first time that the ISIS has claimed responsibility of an attack in Bangladesh.
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http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/29/asia/ ... index.html

ISIS has formally claimed responsibility
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Islamic State may target Delhi during Dussehra and Diwali - Raj Shekhar, Economic Times
Security agencies have alerted Delhi and Rajasthan police about possible terror strikes in their areas by the Islamic State during the festival season.

Sources said Delhi Police's intelligence unit had forwarded the alert to the special cell, which is now developing leads on the basis of the inputs. In Delhi, intercepts suggest the attack could be carried out by a "lone wolf", or a single member of the outfit. However, with the possibility of SIMI members working for IS, an attack involving two-three men cannot be ruled out either.

SIMI was always known to be operating in small groups and this modus operandi was later adopted by Indian Mujahideen.


Delhi's vulnerability has grown manifold with the merger of Islamic State and AuT, which has been voicing its plans to target India for some time. TOI has recently reported about threats being posed by these terror groups to the national capital.

In September last year, AuT had even threatened to avenge the 2008 Batla House encounter and termed the slain terrorists as martyrs on the social media.

An offshoot of Indian Mujahideen, AuT was launched a few years ago. It comprises jihadi elements from the Af-Pak region and IM operatives who had rebelled against the leadership of Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal to fight in Afghanistan. AuT is now throwing its weight behind IS.

Besides, agencies have been warning Delhi Police of impending threats and possible recruitments by IS. A few months ago, agencies had communicated to the police commissioner about an online recruitment drive being undertaken by IS.

IS has been extensively using social media to radicalise youths and has tapped nearly 30 youngsters in north India in recent months.

"Agencies have a list of youths who were contacted by IS and AuT. They have written to us to keep a watch on the online activities of these outfits. Last year, AuT uploaded video messages from various IS operatives, including the Friday sermon of its chief Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in which he called for a jihad against India," said an officer.

Apart from this, Delhi also faces threats from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed. However, with the special cell lying dormant for the past few months, Delhi's security doesn't seem foolproof for the time being.
From my earlier post in the TSP thread on Dec 12, 2014,
The ISI and the LeT have been facing pressure due to their inability to mount large-scale attacks in India. This led to two top IM (Indian Mujahideen) operatives, Riyaz Bhatkal and Muhammad Ahmad Siddibapa, aka Yasin Bhatkal, to leave the ISI patronage. There appears to have been a serious attempt to get them within the folds of the AQIS. There were news reports about Riyaz Bhatkal meeting a senior AQ leader in Afghanistan. However, recent reports seem to indicate that the IM has moved to the IS. Ansar-ul-Tawhid Fi Bilad Al Hind (AuT), suspected to be the new outfit of the Bhatkals and based in Af-Pak region, released a statement on its twitter handle in English, Hindi and Urdu vowing to avenge the death of two Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorists at Batala House in September 2008. The AUT is showing allegiance to the IS. The upsurge in the recruitment of Indian youth to the IS is seen as efforts by the AUT and IM. Thus, the PA/ISI is facing competition in what it used to consider as its backyard, India. Its ability to control the jihadi terror tanzeems is getting frayed all over.
The ET report above says that the AuT is comprised of elements of IM that revolted against the leaders Riyaz & Iqbal Bhatkal. I do not believe that to be true as I think they moved lock, stock & barrel to IS.
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Islamic State gaining ground in Afghanistan: UN - AFP
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group is making inroads in Afghanistan, winning over a growing number of sympathizers and recruiting followers in 25 of the country’s 34 provinces, a UN report said Friday.

The jihadist group, which controls large areas of Syria and Iraq, has been trying to establish itself in Afghanistan, challenging the Taliban on their own turf.

Afghan security forces told UN sanctions monitors that about 10 percent of the Taliban insurgency are ISIS sympathizers, according to the report by the UN’s Al-Qaeda monitoring team.

“The number of groups and individuals who are openly declaring either loyalty to or sympathy with ISIL (or ISIS) continues to grow in a number of provinces in Afghanistan,” said the report.

Afghan government sources said “sightings of the groups with some form of ISIL branding” or sympathy were reported in 25 provinces in the war-torn country, it added.

The ISIS-backed groups “regularly engage” Afghan military forces, but fighting with other parts of the insurgency are rare, except in Nangarhar province where they are battling the Taliban for control of the drug trade.

Among the prominent ISIS fighters, the report singled out Abdul Rauf Khadem, a former Taliban adviser to Mullah Omar, who visited Iraq in October 2014 and has since formed his own group in Helmand and Farah provinces.

Khadem allegedly has been recruiting followers by paying out large sums of money.

Foreign fighters from Pakistan and Uzbekistan, some of whom have close ties to Al-Qaeda, have come under the IS banner after fleeing their country and have “rebranded themselves” in recent months, the report said.

Up to 70 ISIS fighters have come from Iraq and Syria and now form the core of the jihadists’ branch in Afghanistan, according to the report.

Afghan security authorities do not consider the growing emergence of Islamic State as an “immediate increased threat” but they are keeping an eye on the situation as a “potential new threat,” it added.

The UN monitoring team said ISIS had improved its propaganda in English in a sign of increased competition with the Taliban.

The Taliban, who have themselves often been accused of savagery during their 14-year insurgency, are seeking to appear as a bulwark against ISIS’s brutality and as a legitimate group waging an Islamic war.

Earlier this month the Taliban condemned a “horrific” video that apparently showed ISIS fighters blowing up bound and blindfolded Afghan prisoners with explosives. (k)
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Abducted Indian teachers safe in Libya, says official - Y.Mallikarjun, The Hindu
Three Telugu people — two teachers from Sirte University T. Gopi Krishna and Ch. Balaram and another doctor, Ramamurthy Kosanam — who were abducted in July and September in Libya by suspected IS militants, are reported to be “safe” and may be released in the near future.

Andhra Pradesh Bhavan’s Additional Resident Commissioner in Delhi Arja Srikanth, who spoke to India’s Charge d’affaires in Tripoli, Rasheed Khan on Thursday, said the Indian Embassy was in touch with local groups in Sirte who indicated that the abductors were “nice” to the three hostages and that there should not be any problem. The Embassy was seeking the help of the local groups for the safe release of the hostages.

Dr. Srikanth said the local groups also indicated that the three Indians might be released in a week or 10 days.

Mr. Balaram’s wife Sreedevi and Mr. Gopi Krishna’s wife, Kalyani met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on August 10 and urged the government to secure the hostages release at the earliest. Soon after the kidnap of Dr. Ramamurthy, his family met Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada and sought his intervention for early release of the hostage.

Dr. Ramamurthy, who was working in Ibn-e-Sina hospital in Sirte was kidnapped along with a Biochemical engineer, Samal Pravash Ranjan and seven Filipino nurses from their residential quarters located on the hospital premises.

Mr. Samal returned India subsequently after he was freed by his abductors following a 10-day captivity.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Japanese man shot dead in Bangladesh; Islamic State link probed - Reuters
DHAKA – A Japanese citizen was shot dead by gunmen in a northern Bangladesh town Saturday, police said, days after an Italian aid worker was murdered in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

Kunio Hoshi, 65, was attacked by unidentified assailants around 10 a.m. on a visit to Kownia, in the district of Rangpur, 335 km north of the capital, Dhaka, and died on his way to hospital, police said.

“He was shot on his chest and also in his hand and leg,” Rezaul Karim, the officer in charge of the local police station, told reporters.

Police also said Hoshi was traveling to the town on a cycle rickshaw when his vehicle was stopped by three men riding on a motorcycle.

“They shot him there and drove away. His body has been brought to the morgue of Rangpur Medical College,” a police officer said, adding that the man was shot at close range.

Police did not comment on a possible motive for the killing, saying that the investigation was ongoing.

An official with the Japanese Embassy in Dhaka said she was trying to ascertain the details of the incident involving Hoshi, who was born in Bangladesh.

Local reports said he was involved in “philanthropic activities” and an “agriculture project.”

The incident came less than a week after an Italian aid worker was shot dead near Dhaka’s diplomatic area.

Cesare Tavella, an Italian citizen working in Bangladesh on a food security project, was shot dead Monday by three gunmen in Dhaka.

The government has sought to calm escalating security fears in the country after the attack was claimed by the Islamic State group, describing it as an “isolated incident.”

International schools closed temporarily and Western embassies restricted their diplomats’ movements, while Australia’s cricket team canceled a planned tour of the country over security concerns.

Bangladesh prides itself on being a mainly moderate Muslim country. But a gruesome killings of a series of atheist bloggers this year has rocked the country and sparked a crackdown on local hard-line Islamist groups.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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SSridhar wrote:It is good that the UAE is deporting these IS sympathizers. One hopes that GoI keeps them under close observation, as strictly as the UAE did.

However, UAE is following a strange policy. If it allows Salafi & Wahhabi groups to freely roam about their territories and preach, the Emiratis themselves will flock to IS.

My uneducated guess is the keep Dubai Abu Dhabi relevant. These 2 like Singapur are outposts for western economic hegemony. The Mauritius route to invest in India is closed. As long as India is economically weak, the west uses these places to invest into India. FII are mostly based within these tax exempt jurisdictions.

An economically dominant India makes these western outposts irrelevant.

They will do everything to live. When india was weak, these same places acted like conduits for illegal activities against India. Now they want to still be relevant and remain important.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Bangladesh is ripe for IS and other jihadi groups. A lot of Saudi funded seminaries, poverty, etc. Amazed that Sheikh Hasina has survived for this long.
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Islamic State claims killing of Japanese citizen in Bangladesh - Reuters
CAIRO, Oct 3:

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing of a Japanese man in Bangladesh on Saturday, in a statement posted on their official Twitter account.

Police in Bangladesh said they had detained four people in connection with the shooting of the man, the second foreign national killed there within a week.

Kunio Hoshi, 65, a Japanese citizen born in Bangladesh, was attacked by unidentified assailants in Kownia in Rangpur district, 335 km (210 miles) north of the capital, Dhaka, and died on the way to hospital, police said.

Islamic State also claimed responsibility for killing Cesare Tavella, an Italian working in Bangladesh, its first such claim in the country.
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IS greater threat than Qaeda: Pak. Army Chief - AFP
Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif has said the Islamic State group is a greater threat than al-Qaeda.

“In Pakistan, even a shadow of Daesh would not be allowed,” Mr. Sharif said in an address to The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in London on Friday.

In May, IS claimed the killings of at least 43 members of the Ismaili community in the port city of Karachi. Leaflets backing the jihadists have been seen recently in parts of northwest Pakistan. — AFP
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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ISIS Hiring Bid in West Bengal Sends Alarm Bells Ringing - Arup Chanda, New Indian Express
Is the Islamic State (IS) flexing its muscles in West Bengal, too? If a report by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) is to be believed, the extremist outfit has already put up posters in the districts bordering Bangladesh, in a bid to attract people and give a headache to security agencies.

According to a report by the central intelligence agency, a large number of posters have been put up in the villages of Murshidabad and Nadia provoking the locals to join the IS. The state police, however, are clueless about the development and haven’t initiated any action.

The cyber cell of the IB has conducted a national survey to mark the areas from where the IS is trying to recruit youths. Among the five top states are Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Assam, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Apart from bordering districts, even Howrah in West Bengal figures on the list. The survey found that many, including women aged between 16 and 30, are showing interest in IS related activities on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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RoyG wrote:Bangladesh is ripe for IS and other jihadi groups. A lot of Saudi funded seminaries, poverty, etc. Amazed that Sheikh Hasina has survived for this long.
Lets not rush to make this conclusion. The biggest terror group in Indian Subcontinent in ISI. No terror organisation can skip and pass by ISI here.

This is ISI staged terror attacks under the name of IS, nothing more.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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ISIS openly threatening India is premature IMO. India should coordinate with Iran and Russia to ensure that ISIS is taken down in ME before it spreads to subcontinent. Pesh Marga, Asad, Iran, Egypt...ISIS has a long list of enemies to take down before moving on India..Kinda like what is US is doing to China on it's eastern seaboard

They will first make a go for Pakistan which has nukes and unstable. Our immediate focus should be the Paki establishment.
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Re: The Islamic State in the Indian Sub-Continent

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Paul, IS cannot threaten India at all. IMO, that is not going to happen. Even PA/ISI, with all its inherent advantages, does not threaten India. The IS would start with recruitment, indoctrination, training, etc and move to lone-wolf, wolf-pack, IED, VBIED attacks here and there. From what we have seen so far, they operate as a cohesive single unit in Syria/Iraq. In other places, they operate under a franchise and/or actively trying to absorb existing terror groups. They now seem to have a convenient group, the IM, aligning with them. Having learnt from the post-1989 developments, we must develop our strategy, which the GoI is certainly seeming to be doing. Multiple tracks are being followed, domestically and internationally.
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Indian intelligence experts attend global meets to tackle IS threat - Neeraj Chauhan, ToI
Wary of the threat posed by Islamic State in the sub-continent, intelligence experts are attending back to back meetings in different countries to discuss strategy to deal with the menace.

Director general of National Investigation Agency - Sharad Kumar, recently represented India at a special meet in Holland where issues related to Islamic State's influence here, sharing of intelligence on youngsters joining or planning to join the outfit, de-radicalizing them, preventive measures, role of civil society and NGOs in educating against terrorism and need for a stricter law were discussed.

Sources say that most of the 240 delegates from about 70 countries, affected by the threat of Islamic State, who met in Holland on September 23-24, favoured having a strict law to deter youngsters and curb IS' ability to reach out to them on the internet.

When contacted, Kumar refused to comment on his recent visit.

A week before deliberations in Holland, three Indian officials, deputed by ministry of home affairs, went to Istanbul to attend Interpol's meet to review challenges and strengthen regional and international responses to the threat posed by Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs), as most of the 15,000 IS fighters are from foreign countries. About 35 countries had participated in the meet. In Istanbul, an officer said, "the sharing of actionable inputs between counter-terrorism agencies, databases, understanding modus operandi of the terrorist recruiters and facilitators and giving access to interrogation details of captured suspects was discussed". {It is so nonsensical to have this meet in Istanbul, of all the places!!}

Similarly, five officers from intelligence bureau, MHA and other agencies had separate interactions few weeks back with investigators in Turkey—hard hit by IS activities for the reason that it shares its border with Syria---in which sharing of intelligence was agreed upon.

Having a go-ahead from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Indian officials are also having a series of meetings with several other countries like Australia, Spain, UK, Switzerland, Canada and United States etc to increase cooperation on anti-terrorism with each other.

"The IS members and other terrorists outfits like Al-Qaeda are increasingly radicalizing and inciting individuals in most of the countries, mostly on the internet, to leave their homes and become foreign terrorist fighters. The use of internet and social media for recruitment is a serious concern which is included in these talks. Many countries have pointed out that those who are joining Islamic State or other organizations have used fraudulent identities for the jehadi purpose. It is a herculean task to watch every traveler but every country including us are trying to monitor suspicious persons," said a senior government official.

The Intelligence Bureau and Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), since last year, have been actively focusing on restricting penetration of IS in India. Agencies like National Investigation Agency and other anti-terror bodies are also contributing in the effort.

According to figures shared by intelligence agencies, about 17 Indian youths have so joined Islamic State in Iraq and Syria out of which 7 have died while 10 are stilling fighting there. About two dozen youngsters have been prevented by Indian agencies from joining the outfit and de-radicalized while about 13 Indians in UAE, out of which 8 were recently deported, have made attempts to join IS.

A senior officer said "The number looks small but there are possibly many more who we have not been able to trace yet."
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Mosques to give sermons against IS - Imran Gowhar, The Hindu
In the backdrop of reports of sermons in mosques in several parts of the country discussing IS, the Imam of Jamia Masjid has asked nearly 150 mosques across Bengaluru to give sermons against IS to protect the young minds from being lured into the terror traps on the pretext of religion.

The IS is tarnishing the image of Islam by spreading terrorism. The aim is to protect the religion and also propagate peace and wellbeing of humanity, and killing in any form is not tolerated, especially attacking innocent, said a statement sent by Mohammed Maqsood Imran, the Imam of Jamia Masjid in K.R. Market to the mosques.

The sermons against IS started in the city on Bakrid, and help has been sought from Imams, speakers and committee members of mosques to preach Islam’s basic tenets.
GoI must strictly instruct the sermons to be limited to religious matters (unless of course if they ask a particular line to be taken in the sermons) alone as has been done in Saudi Arabia where anything in violation leads to the stripping of the Imam from his position. Even Pakistan is following a similar practice.
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Who’s behind the killings of foreigners in Bangladesh? - Haroon Habib, The Hindu
Scepticism runs high on the mysterious killings of two foreigners and the quick claim of responsibility by the Islamic State (IS) as both government agencies and security experts strongly feel that there is no IS in Bangladesh.

According to a report compiled by the secret agencies, the “anti-liberation forces”, enraged by the ongoing trial of those committed war crimes during the 1971 liberation war, are killing foreign nationals to cast the government in a bad light.

Although a websites named after Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility of the two murders, it was rejected as “baseless” by the Bangladesh government .Home Minister Assaduzzaman Khan Kamal said: “The IS is not behind these murders … a vested group is seeking to create anarchy in the country.”

Government leaders, a number of security experts and civil society groups viewed that the killings have taken place just ahead of the possible execution of two top war criminals. “We have evidence in hand and our investigators are following the leads. The culprits will be punished,” Home Minister Kamal said.

A number of security experts told The Hindu that there was no evidence that IS is active in Bangladesh, but they admitted that some IS sympathisers were nabbed by the law enforcers while trying to recruit members in the recent past. The “actual killers” are spreading misleading information to derail the investigation, they added.

Meanwhile, the U.S. said it had taken the IS claims that it killed the foreigners in Bangladesh seriously. “The U.S. is working hard right now with the Bangladesh government to verify the IS claims of killing the two foreign nationals,” said Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat, the U.S. Ambassador.
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Hindu Girl warmed up to IS to spite parents? - Neeraj Chauhan, ToI
The story of a 25-year-old girl, daughter of a retired Indian Army Lt Colonel, de-radicalized by Intelligence Bureau recently for trying to joining Islamic State, did not have much to do with her believing in some extremist ideology. It was a normal love affair, a girl wanting to marry a boy of her choice, but running into resistance from her family because the boy belonged to a different faith.

Things took a different turn because the girl was angry that her parents were playing the villain in her love story by not allowing her to marry her boyfriend, who is a Muslim. She sought to take revenge from her parents by frequenting sites having material on Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and started reading literature on Islam.

It all started in Australia. The girl, an aspiring journalist, belonging to a Hindu family in Mumbai, did her graduation from Delhi University and went to Australia for a three-year post graduate programme there. She fell in love with a Muslim boy from Mumbai, who was also in Australia for his studies. When she expressed her desire to marry him, her parents said 'no' because the boy was a Muslim.

As told to IB officials by the girl, the rejection from parents angered her so much that she started surfing the net for ISIS activities and reading up on Islam in general.

Her boyfriend instigated her in the act and shared a lot of material with her, said an IB official.

About two and a half months back, her father happened to go through her laptop and was shocked to see that his daughter showed interest in joining IS. The incident had sent shockwaves in the intelligence community. "Nothing suspicious was found against the girl though and she has been de-radicalized. She was not in touch with any ISIS member online. It was out of anger she did what she did," said an officer.

An officer, who shared the interrogation details of the girl with TOI, said that "we suspect that the boy might be in touch with people either associated with Islamic State or other outfits".

Indian intelligence agencies have, in fact, now approached Australia to know more about this Mumbai-based youth.
Earlier, four youth from Mumbai reportedly joined Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
This girl is either very dumb or the full story is not being told.
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