four youths from mumbai believed to have joined isis in iraq

Mumbai: As investigations into Thursday's Pune blast progress, agencies are worried about four youths from Kalyan who are reported to have left for Iraq to fight along ISIS.

These youths are part of the 18 Indians learnt to be fighting in Iraq and Syria and are being tracked by intelligence agencies.This came to light when the father of one of the boys claimed to have possession of a letter in which his son seemed to be influenced by radicalism.According to the report, Ejaz Badruddin Majeed claims that his son had left a handwritten letter at home saying “fighting has been enjoined upon you”.Ejaz, who is a doctor by profession, said that Arif Fayyaz Majeed reportedly told his mother that he had to migrate to the to “Allah's land.”In the letter, the son tells his family, “May we all meet in Paradise.”Arif, an engineering student in Navi Mumbai, disappeared nearly two and half moths back.According to the police, Arif travelled to Iraq on May 23 along with a group of pilgrims.He contacted his family on 24th to apologise for leaving without and informing them, and told them that he had gone to look for a job.The family last heard from him May 25, when he reassured them that he is well.Others in the pilgrim group reported that on 25th evening Arif, accompanied by three others, left them and headed for Fallujah, a city that is at the epicentre of the deadly violence in Iraq.He hasn't been heard from since. Investigators say his mobile phone last connected to a tower Mosul, it has been dead since.Arif is elived to be accompanied by other Kalyan residents Fahad Tanvir Sheikh, Aman Naim Tandel and Shaheen Farooqi Tanki — all young men in their twenties, with no known past involvement in radical Islamist politics.The families have reported them missing to the local police.Arif's father Ejaz Majeed has said that he wants the people punished who pulled his son into the web of radical Islamic militancy.Arif's father has handed over a copy of the letter to the police.Ejaz Majeed has requested for a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.“I want to meet (External Affairs Minister) Sushma Swaraj or (Home Minister) Rajnath Singh”, Arif's father Ejaz Majeed said adding, “and ask them to punish the people who seduced our children to participate in this madness. I want to ask them to warn other parents to watch out for their children being led astray. I want to beg them, also, to please help bring these children back. Please help me meet them.”ISIS chief Abubakr Al-Baghdadi, who recently declared himself as the Caliph of Islamic State, has asked Indian Muslims to wage war against the nation in an audio message.

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