Kerala man who 'joined' Islamic State reportedly killed in Afghanistan

A man from Kerala, who was suspected to have joined terror outfit Islamic State (IS), has reportedly been killed in Afghanistan, A photograph of the body of Shajeer M Abdulla was received on WhatsApp by B C Abdul Rehman, a social activist in Kasaragod district, on Monday.

Rehman said the picture, along with a message, was forwarded to him by another man from Kasaragod, who too was believed to have joined the IS.

"I do not know any other details of Shajeer M Abdulla, who is said to have been killed," he told PTI.

But the exact date or cause of the death was not mentioned in the message, he said.

When contacted, police in Kozhikode, from where Abdulla hails, said they do not have any official information about the development.

"Shajeer hails from Moozhikkal under Chevayur police station limit in Kozhikode. He completed his engineering studies and went to the Middle East for a job. This is the information we have. Nothing more," a police officer told PTI.

The probe on all matters connected with these issues is being handled by the National Investigating Agency (NIA), the officer, who did not wish to be named, said.

NIA has been probing cases of the missing of at least 21 men who had left the state under mysterious circumstances over a period of time and are suspected to have joined the IS.

Among them, 17 were from Kasaragod and four from Palakkad. They include four women and three children.