KANNUR: The Kannur police have confirmed the death of Abdul Manaf, 27, of Manna, Valapattanam, who had joined IS and was fighting in Syria, in November 2017. The information was passed on to Manaf’s relatives by Abdul Khayyum, of Mayyil, who is in Syria, through a WhatsApp message, the police said.
According to Kannur DySP P P Sadanandan, 15 persons had joined IS from Kannur. Of the 15, five people were arrested and handed over to the NIA for further investigation. Another five were reported to have been killed in Syria. According to the police, the remaining five are still in Syria, fighting against “non-believers”.
Last year, 16 Malayalis had died in Syria, police sources said. Reports say more than 80 Malayalis, , including women and children, are still at IS camps in Syria. Manaf had taken his wife and children to Syria. A voice clip received by the police during the investigation revealed that one of the women, wife of Muhammad Shajil, who was killed in Syria, had sent a message to her relatives narrating the difficulties they are facing in Syria.When Shajil was killed, Manaf had contacted some of his acquaintances saying he was ready to pay off Shajil’s debts.