4 Keralite youth who went Syria to join IS reportedly killed

Kannur: The police on Wednesday confirmed that four persons belonging to Kannur were killed in Syria. According to police, four out of the 10-member group, including women and children of two families here, who joined the banned Islamic States (IS) late last year, were killed in an encounter in Syria recently.

Police said, according to information received from the Central Agencies,  two young women and their husbands and six children (three from each family) had joined the IS in Syria last year.Police received information that Popular Front of India (PFI) activists T V Shameer and his wife joined the IS first, followed by Anwar and family.

Anwar and family had left Kannur on November 19, 2018 in the pretext of a tour to Bangalore. But they did not return till this date. Following a missing complaint from their relatives, Police investigation team found that the family had gone to Syria, through Iran.

Police suspects the death of Anwar, Shameer and his two children Safwan and Salman during an encounter with Syrian police. Meanwhile, there is no information about the rest of their family members, police sources revealed.

According to information received by Kannur police, around 35 persons from Kannur district alone had joined to IS so far. There are 15 Keralites were killed in an encounter with Syrian Defence force in  last year alone. (UNI)