The Kerala police have confirmed that a 30-year-old youth who had left the country two years ago to join the terror outfit ISIS, has been killed in Syria.
Kannur DySP Sadanandan told TNM that Abdul Manaf, a native of Valapattanam in the district was killed in November last year while he was fighting. The news of his death reached his parents who continue to live in Valapattanam.
According to the officer, a few Popular Front of India (PFI) members received a message from Abdul Khayyum- who was with Manaf in Syria- via Telegram two days ago.
Manaf is one among the 15 people from Kannur, who the police had earlier confirmed as having links with ISIS. In November last year, the police had arrested five men from the district for having links with the terror organisation and confirmed the identities of five men, who have joined the organisation and booked them under UAPA. The list included Manaf. Another five men were confirmed to have been killed in war-front in Syria. The deceased are TV Shameer of Pappinissery, his son Salman, AV Shahnad from Chalad, Muhammed Shajil from Mundery and Rihsal from Valapattanam.
Subsequently, the NIA took up the case.
The police say that Manaf was a close associate of Shajahan, who was arrested last year from New Delhi, after he was deported by Turkish authorities following an unsuccessful bid to go to Syria.
Manaf had been an active member of SDPI, the political front of PFI, before he left the country to join the terror outfit. He was also an accused in the murder of a CPI (M) worker in 2009.
He managed to flee the country along with his wife and two children using fake passports two years ago.