New Delhi: National Investigation Agency (NIA) revealed that eight persons among the 23 Keralites, who reached Afghanistan to join Islamic State (IS) terror outfit have been killed in air strikes, according to reports. In 2016, it came to light that 23 persons from Kasaragod left for Afghanistan to join the ISIS. From that time, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered nine IS-related cases in Kerala.

The killed are identified as Murshid Mohammed TK, Muhammed Marwan, Hafesudheen Theke Koleth, Muhammed Manzad, Shihas KP, Ajmala, Bestin and Shibi KT.

Sources said the death of the IS members were conveyed to relatives by their handlers in Afghanistan. The controllers said that the eight were killed in air strikes carried out by the US-led allied forces in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province since 2016.

Also read: NIA questions more Tamil Nadu ISIS terror suspects in Kerala

According to reports, the NIA cases against these persons will exist till the time their death is officially confirmed.

In a similar incident, another leader of an ISIS module in Kerala was a killed in Afghanistan in ’random bombing’ by US forces in June. Kerala’s Rashid Abdulla, who was leading the module of Islamic State recruiters from the state, was killed two months ago. According to reports, a Telegram app message found by security sleuths revealed that the IS recruiter was killed in Khorasan province.

According to the message, a total of three Indian brothers, two women and four kids were killed in the bombing.