IS activity up in South India, 2 sub-groups formed: Intel

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 27

In a bid to keep its presence intact in India, particularly after the crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), global terror outfit Islamic State (IS) has launched two sub-groups for southern states and Sri Lanka.

Roped in PFI members

Advertisement

• After ban on PFI, Islamic State has set up two more sub-groups: one for Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, the other for Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
• It has roped in several members of the banned PFI for terror activities

While one IS sub-group is for Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, the other is for Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, officials of intelligence agencies said.

Incidentally, a majority of the cases linked to the IS which are being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) are from southern states. A number of recruits from the region have also participated in the so-called hijrat (migration) to other countries for terror activities, the officials said, adding that the outfit has been particularly active in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The officials further confirmed that the IS had roped in several members of the now banned PFI for training and raising a militia of trained jihadists for terror activities. The PFI was initially raised in Kerala but subsequently shifted its headquarters to Shaheen Bagh in the Capital, they added.

The IS already has groups like IS (Khorasan Province), IS (JK), IS Deccan (for South India) and IS Hind for the hinterland, the officials said.

In one of its earlier statements, the NIA had said, “Investigations have revealed that the accused have been conspiring to drive a wedge between different communities and groups living in India.”