NEW DELHI: Ansar-ut Tawhid fi Bilad al-Hind (AuT), an India-specific jihadi outfit that pledged allegiance to Islamic State (ISIS) in September 2014, has started online propaganda for ISIS in Bengali, after posting ISIS messages in the past with Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, Gujarat and English subtitles. Indian intelligence agencies say this has expanded the geographical reach of ISIS propaganda, leading to radicalization of some Indian youth.

AuT propagates acts of violence against the Indian government and encourages Indian Muslims to participate in jihad within the country, along with encouraging other jihadis to attack Indian government interests and economic centres.

Another key cause of concern for the Indian agencies, as they review the ISIS threat here in the wake of Paris attacks and India’s backing to France’s retaliatory air-strikes on ISIS territory, is the Wilayat Khorasan (WK), an ISIS affiliate operating out of Af-Pak region. WK, according to intelligence sources, is at present a threat in Nangarhar province of Eastern Afghanistan and may target Indian interests there.

Incidentally, Afghanistan is the only country in South Asia where ISIS activity goes beyond recruitment.

While ISIS and its leaders had mentioned India along with other “Muslim areas” of the world during their inaugural announcements, there has been no mention or focus on India in the threats that regularly surface online. Agencies, however, warn that this does not make India immune to threats from ISIS or its ideology of violent extremism.

The announcement of the “Caliphate” by ISIS in June 2014 has attracted a flood of foreign fighters to the outfit, including from India. According to intelligence estimates, about 25,000 foreign fighters from more than 100 countries have come out in support of IS. There are “hundreds of fighters” from South Asian countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Maldives and some from India as well. The growing concern is that these fighters, after getting active combat experience and exposure to extreme radicalization influences of sectarianism, would pose a threat to their homelands as and when they return from the jihadi theatres.

Also, the call for ‘lone wolf’ attacks by ISIS spokeman Al Adnani has increased the planning of strikes in Australia, UK, Canada, France and the US. Agencies fear any individual inspired by ISIS ideology may resort to such attacks.

ISIS and Al Nusra Front-led rebels together control two-thirds of Syrian territory. In Iraq, ISIS controls the west and north-west, while north-east is with Peshmarga and the south with Iraq government.