A man from Kasaragod in Kerala is said to be one of the three terrorists who stormed a gurdwara in Kabul on March 25 and killed around 25 Sikh worshippers, a senior government official told The Hindu.
The official said at least three terrorists of the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) had attacked the gurdwara. All were killed by Afghan security forces. “We know that at least one of them is an Indian, and the identity of the other two is being ascertained,” the official said.
The attacker was identified as Abu Khalid Al-Hindi by Al Naba, the ISKP’s propaganda wing. The magazine published a photograph of the Indian attacker. The other aliases used for him were Abdul Khayoom and Abdul Khalid.
The official said the person was identified as Mohsin from Thrikaripur in Kasaragod. He was 29 years old and a school dropout. His family has moved to Kannur. He left for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) more than two years ago.
Mohsin’s family did not file police complaint
His family had never reported this to the police, a senior government official told The Hindu.
“His family never reported to the police or filed any complaint… They claim he was not in touch with them all these years… We are ascertaining the entire chain of events,” the official said.
The official said the attacker’s movement to Afghanistan was not clear yet. “We know that he left home more than two years ago under the pretext that he was going to the UAE. After that, when and how he reached Afghanistan to join the ISKP [Islamic State in Khorasan Province] is not known. The investigation is on,” the official said. There is no police case registered against Mohsin yet.
At least two officials confirmed that he was not part of the group of 21 men and women from Kerala that had left India in 2016 in batches to join the ISKP. Mainly comprising defectors from the Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP), the ISKP came into existence in 2015.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)