Interrogation of two female suicide bombers named Shifa Haris and Mizha Siddique of the Islamic State’s Kerala module has revealed that around 3200 ISIS sleeper cells are operating in Kerala, India. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team from Delhi arrested both of the women from a residence at Thana in Kerala’s Kannur in August of this year.
Each of these cells has around 10 members, which translates to the presence of 32000 Islamic jihadis in the state, with at least 40% of these being women. Many of these women have been converted to Islam from other faiths through narcotics jihad or grooming jihad. The charge sheet presented by the NIA states that Mizha Siddique had travelled to Tehran with her accomplices and intended to cross over to Syria illegally, but failed. Mizha was working under the direction of the Kerala ISIS kingpin, Mohammad Ameen, and recruiting Muslim youth for ISIS. Mohammad Ameen is now behind bars. Mizha had recruited her cousins Shifa Harris and Mushab Anwar for jihad and inspired them to join ISIS. Shifa had sent funds to their Kashmir module; they were planning Hijra, Islamic religious migration, to Kashmir. About seven young jihadis were set to migrate to Kashmir from Kerala.
This large-scaled permeation of sleeper cells suggests that the ideologues of the Islamic State are now embedded across Kerala, and its growth is difficult to monitor or check. Most of the members of the ISIS sleeper cells are part of its cyber brigade, are incorrigibly indoctrinated, and could pick up arms at any moment to fight for a caliphate led by the Islamic State.
These jihadis are mostly modern, highly qualified, and adept at using the latest technologies and gadgets. Apart from grooming, many were lured into this cause with promises of sex, money, positions, drugs, or foreign jobs. The Kerala brigade also involves people from the film and media industries, who are working closely with each other.
These members promote the jihad ideology, albeit covertly. They commonly use social media to transmit information and spread propaganda; they often hold meetings and assist their “military brigade” (a kill squad) stealthily. They are the main mediators between the Islamic State and foreign intelligence groups such as Pakistan’s ISI.
The Talibanization of this southern state of India and the growing tendency among well-educated people in recent years to turn to jihad is not a fluke. It is the well-planned strategy of Pakistan-based jihad outfits that plan to use India’s home-grown jihadis, such as the ones in Kerala, to launch jihad terror attacks all over the country.
The Kerala-based jihadis, along with their Pakistan-based handlers, are operating in Kabul, and their next target could very well be Kashmir. In light of the repeated recent targeted killings of non-Muslims in Kashmir, the possibilities of a renewed jihad terrorist insurgency in the valley cannot be dismissed. The Kerala-based ISIS sleeper cells may move to Kashmir to advance the cause of the jihadis in case of such a planned insurgency.
In March 2020, a group led by Mohammed Ameen was arrested by the NIA for their links with the Islamic State. Ameen was from Kerala; he reached Kashmir to meet another accused jihad terrorist, Mohammad Waqar Lone, and his associates, soon after returning to India from Bahrain.
They were caught distributing pro-ISIS propaganda through social media channels, recruiting members for their ISIS module, and raising funds. Ameen was holed up in the national capital area, awaiting directions from his jihadi masters, when he the NIA apprehended him and his accomplices.
This was a highly dedicated outfit that, under Ameen’s leadership, owed its loyalty to ISIS and had planned targeted assassinations in Karnataka and Kerala, as well as religious migration to Kashmir.
The victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan was impossible without the support of the Pakistani military. In between May and June of this year, Pakistan started to position the Taliban with a renewed image on the international stage. Pakistani federal minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi publically claimed that “the Taliban might wear baggy dresses but they have intelligent brains,” and Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed asserted that the current Taliban leadership is a moderate one compared to the Taliban of 1996 that had publicly displayed the dead bodies of the then-Afghan president Najibullah and his brother. Again, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan denied the US airspace for attacking the Taliban.
The Taliban commanders, on the other hand, were functional in Peshawar and Quetta in Pakistan, much like how Osama bin Laden was operating out of their backyard. They were transferring both their troops and those of Pakistan towards Kabul and other major Afghan cities. The Pakistani agency ISI was overseeing these jihad terror cells, and has provided a fertile breeding ground for Islamic terrorists. When the most opportune time arrives, they may reach out to the jihadis-in-the-making in Kerala’s sleeper cells and order them to carry out massive acts of terror.
mortimer says
Good analysis by Ashlyn Davis. India has a huge jihad problem exacerbated by Pakistan’s governmental support for jihadic terror groups. Pakistan should be sanctioned by the international community until it stops funding terrorist groups.
India has some 180.000,000 Muslims of whom roughly 1,000,000 will be jihadist-wannabes, 15% (or 20.000,000) will be in favor of jihad and the remaining 85% of Muslims will be somewhat indifferent to jihad.
If Pakistan ceases its jihadic financing and training the fires of jihad in the region will be greatly reduced. At present, Pakistan is exporting jihad. Sooner or later this jihadism will turn inwards and Pakistan will pay a huge price for fanning the flames of jihadism.
Infidel says
So much for India’s ‘most literate state’ and the state w/ the highest HDI: it’s the one state in India – not Kashmir, not W Bengal, not UP – that puts India on the world’s jihad map
Keith O says
Great breakdown of the horror that India has brewing in their midst.
BUT, it does raise a rather scary question.
If there are an estimated 3200 sleeper cells in India, how many have infiltrated civilised countries such as the US, England, Canada, Australia etc?
jmac says
unlike the U.S. and most other Western ‘democracies’, India appears to have a Diverse Overwhelming Moral Majority with an acute awareness of and deep disdain for the jihadist fundamentals of the satanic verses….
If you take in some typical Indian Action Films it will be clear that Bollywood does NOT share hellywood crapifornica’s prevailing delusional ‘woke’ pc acceptance of the “religion of peace” but rather the heroes of India’s entertainment culture mete out harsh macho justice upon the isis/taliban/alqueda sociopath zealots.
These are very gratifying movies to watch..!!!
And it’s quite refreshing to hear the packed south east Asian crowds in one of Brampton/Mississauga’s (West Toronto) large cineplexes cheer & roar their approval at the brutal dispatch of the hate-ideologues at the hands of rogue vengeful “seals” from India’s Armed Forces….
So imo despite the insidious presence of thousands of terrorists, India’s civilization appears far more likely to survive “sharia-creep” than say sweden or germany….
PRESIDENT Trump received a far Far greater welcome from the Indian People than jihadstin castro turdeau did for his insulting escapade that included separatist terrorists in his subversive fool’s entourage..!!!!
Infidel says
Bollywood is very anti-Hindu, and produces a lot of tripe, aside from being singularly devoid of originality. It has deep links w/ the muslim underworld in Mumbai as well as links to Karachi. It’s also behind the trend of woke Indian companies picking Hindu festivals to plug their pet anti-Hindu causes, such as not burning fireworks on Diwali, not disposing clay idols in the rivers, not smearing people w/ colored dyes on Holi and so on. Most Hindus are increasingly resentful, and there has been a backlash, forcing such companies to pull such ads
Speaking of South East Asia, one of the sisters of Indonesia’s former president Sukarnoputri announced in Bali that she’s leaving islam for Hinduism – the Balinese school. Congratulations to her, even though it took her 70 years
gravenimage says
Sdly this has been my impression of Bollywood, Infidel. I’m sure there are a few exceptions–but there are in Hollywood, too.
OLD GUY says
And Biden is bring 95,000 islamic refugees into American cities and towns, what possibly could go wrong?
SVEIN MAGNE BORTNE says
Round them up and send all muslims in India to pakistan. I lived in Kerala for 3 years 60 years ago. It will not be better 60 years from now.