Kerala youth who joined IS reportedly killed in Afghanistan

Thiruvanathapuram: A Kerala youth allegedly working with Islamic State was killed in Afghanistan, according to reports.

The youth had allegedly joined IS in 2017, reported Indian Express quoting intelligence sources.

Though not confirmed by officials, a report in the terror outfit's publication Voice of Khorasan reported the death of the youth; the photograph of "Najeeb Al Hindi" in the latest issue of the publication has been reportedly identified.

The youth named Najeeb, a resident of Ponmala in Malappuram district, was studying M.Tech in neighbouring Tamil Nadu's Vellore town. People close to the family said they had heard about Najeeb's killing and identified the photograph as his, report said.

A missing person's case had been registered in August 2017 following a complaint from Najeeb's mother, sources say.

"Later, we realised that he had left the country and joined IS in Afghanistan. We don't know when he was killed in Afghanistan, the only confirmation about his death is the announcement in Voice of Khorasan,'' a source said.

Najeeb's family in Ponmala believes the engineering graduate has died, a family friend quoted as saying.

"The family has confirmed the photograph in the publication as that of Najeeb. They had heard about his death in the past as well. The Voice of Khorasan said he was killed months after reaching Afghanistan," the family friend said.

Weeks after disappearing, Najeeb sent a Telegram app message to his family saying that he had escaped from among Kafirs( unbelievers) he wanted to become shasheed ( martyr) soon.

"There is no meaning in living with kafirs and I have escaped from the world of kafirs," said the message.

The report said that the police probe as revealed that Najeeb had left India to join IS.