DUBAI: Daesh does not consider South Asians, including Indians, good enough to fight in the conflict zones of Iraq and Syria and treated them as inferior to Arab fighters. However, it often tricks them into launching suicide attacks.

According to an intelligence report prepared by foreign agencies, fighters from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh as well as certain countries like Nigeria and Sudan are considered inferior to Arab fighters.

There appears to be clear hierarchy wherein the Arab fighters are preferred as officer cadre and provided better arms and ammunition, equipment, accommodation and salaries.

“The fighters from South Asia are usually housed in groups in small barracks and are paid less than the Arab fighters and are provided inferior equipment,” the input says.

There are reports that the so-called inferior fighters are also, at times, tricked into suicide attacks. Usually they are given a vehicle loaded with explosives and asked to go near a targeted destination and call a certain number, who would purportedly come and meet them to explain the mission. However, as soon as the number is dialed, the car explodes due to a pre-set mechanism aimed at destroying a specific target.

The intelligence report suggests that there is a disproportionately high level of casualty among the South Asian and African foreign terrorists since they are forced to the front lines of battle as foot soldiers.

The Arab fighters with better battle experience are mostly positioned behind these fighters and hence their casualties are proportionally less in terms of their total numbers.

The intelligence report says there is information that foreign fighters of Chinese, Indian, Nigerian and Pakistani origin are housed together and are monitored closely by the Daesh police.

Only Tunisian, Palestinian, Saudi, Iraqi and Syrian are allowed to be in the Daesh police force, which is barred for fighters of all other nationalities.

There is also information, the intelligence input suggests, that Daesh considers Islam, as it is practiced in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, as a departure from the original teachings.