Three from Kerala among those who surrendered in Afghanistan: Agencies
The Indian Express
Dated: November 27, 2019
Three youths from Kerala, including two women, who were among more than 20 from the state who left for Afghanistan in 2016 to join the Islamic State, are suspected to be among hundreds of IS operatives who surrendered before Afghan authorities in the last one week. Sources said the possibility of more Indians among the surrendered terrorists can not be denied.
Based on photographs of the surrendered IS affiliates obtained from national agencies, intelligence officials in Kerala have prima facie identified three persons. “We have unofficially come to the conclusion that the surrendered include Thasleem of Pappinassery in Kannur, Aysha alias Sonia Sebastian, and Rahaila. There is no official confirmation but we have come to the assumption matching their photographs,” sources said.
Some families in Kerala are now keeping their fingers crossed, anticipating the return of missing family members, in the wake of the surrender.
A software engineer from Ernakulam, Sonia Sebastian alias Ayesha had converted to Islam after marrying Abdul Rashid Abdullah, said to be the kingpin of the module that engineered the exodus of over 20 youths from Kasaragod and Palakkad areas of Kerala in May and June of 2016.
Thasleem was an activist of the Popular Front of India before moving to Afghanistan, sources said.
Rahaila is the wife of Dr Ejas — of Padanna in Kasaragod — who is believed to be killed in US drone attacks.
“We have actually received three photographs of a group of surrendered operatives from Afghan authorities informally. In one of the photographs, a woman sitting with a child looks very similar to Ayesha. We have asked our Afghan contacts to send more and better pictures of the woman to confirm our suspicion. Once that is done, we will request the authorities to hand her over to our embassy there which will bring her to India,” an officer in the security establishment said.
“Largely those who have surrendered are Pakistanis. A large number of women and children as well have surrendered. Almost half the Indians who had gone there have already been killed,” the officer said.
Bindu Sampath, a resident of Thiruvananthapuram, who has been eagerly waiting to hear about her daughter Nimisha, said, “The reports about the surrender of IS men and women have given some hope to us. We are awaiting to hear some positive news after my daughter went missing. We hope our prayers would be finally heard by God.”
Nimisha had married a Muslim convert from Palakkad and gave birth to a baby in Afghanistan. Her husband Bexen alias Eesa was reportedly killed.
After a prolonged battle between Afghan forces and IS operatives in the Nangarhar province, more than 600 IS affiliates surrendered in the last one week. Shah Mahmood Miakhel, Governor of the eastern Nangarhar province, was quoted on November 17 by local media as having said, “The surrendered people include 225 [male] fighters and 190 women and 200 children. Most of them are Pakistanis but they include citizens of other countries.”
Miakhel told the media that the Afghan government might hand over some of the surrendered women and children to the embassies of their respective countries in Kabul.
The group from Kerala was led by Abdul Rashid Abdullah, who had returned from Oman a few years ago to study communication engineering in Pala. He later worked for a private firm where he also met his future wife Sonia. Rashid soon left his job and began working for an Islamic foundation in Kerala for a much lower salary. Agencies believe that it was during this time that he got attracted to the Islamic State and began recruiting through online groups in the state. “Abdullah is still alive and he is not among the surrendered is what we have learnt as of now,” an officer said.
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