A Kerala resident who along with 21 others fled to Afghanistan last year to join the Islamic State (IS), was killed "during battle with American forces," a senior NIA official said.
Bestin Vincent, a resident of Palakkad, who converted to Islam and assumed the identity of Yahya had escaped to Afghanistan with his wife Merrin alias Mariam and 19 others to live in the IS controlled territory in the Khorasan province of Afghanistan. Both Vincent and Merrin converted to Islam after their marriage.
In the past two months at least two others - Mohammad Hafeezuddin and Murshid Mohammad - have been killed in drone attacks.
Ashfak Majeed, another absconding accused sent a message to B.C Rehman, a close relative of Hafeezuddin, informing him about the death of Vincent.
The message sent to Rehman on WhatsApp at 5.29 pm on Saturday said, "Yahya (Bestin), whom you all consider a Jew have become martyr Inshaallah. It was in frontline of war against American Kufrs (Infidels)."
The message was received in Malayalam, a senior NIA official said. The official said they were in touch with other agencies in Afghanistan and were trying to corroborate the claims.
On April 18, a Afghanistan based news agency had claimed that 13 Indians were killed in the Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) attack by the U.S military in Achin district of Nangarhar province but the claims were neither corroborated by NIA nor the family members.
Vincent's brother Bexon and his wife -Nimisha alias Fathima who also converted to Islam had escaped to Afghanistan along with others.
Last year, as a well thought out conspiracy, 21 men, women and children from Kerala had left for Afghanistan via Iran to live in the IS controlled territory.
Mainly comprising defectors from Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP), the Wilayat Khorasan of Islamic State in Afghanistan came into existence in 2015.
