Indians who joined terror outfits killed

Two Keralites who allegedly joined terror groups last year have reportedly been killed in air strikes by the United States in Syria and Afghanistan.

They were identified as Yahya and Abu Thahir, both hailing from Palakkad.

Yahya had reportedly joined Islamic State and Abu Thahir the al-Qaeda, police said.

They were among 21 people from Kerala, including women and children, who travelled to West Asia and went missing in 2016.

Seventeen of them were from Kasargod and the rest from Palakkad.

Police said they received an information on Sunday night about the death of Thahir in Syria.

Died fighting forces

A message received by a social worker in Kasargod said: “Yahya has been martyred while fighting in Afghanistan.”

“He was killed while fighting the U.S. forces,” the message read. It, however, did not say when he was killed.

A fortnight ago, one Murshid Muhammed from Padanna in the district was killed in a drone attack in Afghanistan.