Hafeezuddin T.K., who was among the 17 persons from Kasaragod district in Kerala suspected to have joined the Islamic State (IS) in June last, has been killed in a drone attack, his family said on Sunday.
A Telegram app message received by Hafeezuddin’s mother Khadeeja, and B.C.A. Rahman, a close relative of the youth, both residents of the coastal hamlets of Padanna near Cheruvathur, said that Hafeezuddin was killed on Saturday and that his mortal remains were buried later in the day.
While there was no confirmation of the whereabouts of Hafeezuddin, an NIA charge sheet said the group was located in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.
The message, purportedly sent by Ashfak Majeed (25), also a native of Padanna locality, reached Hafeezuddin’s mother at 7 a.m. and Mr. Rahman one-and-a-half hours later, P.V. Muhammed Aslam, Padanna grama panchayat welfare standing committee chairman, who resides in the neighbourhood, told The Hindu .
The message sent by Ashfak, who till recently used to share information with the youth’s family, said, “Haffeez was killed by a drone strike yesterday and we consider him to be a Shaheed (martyr)… We are waiting for our turn”.
Hafeezuddin’s father Abdul Hakeem, away in Abu Dhabi, has left for home to be with his wife and daughter. He was nurturing a slim hope of their son remaining safe and returning home some day.
Neither the Central agencies nor the State police has confirmed the development.
The police are investigating the disappearance of persons from Padanna and Thrikkarippur areas based on complaints filed by seven relatives of the 15 missing persons, including four women and three children.
The police nabbed a 30-year old woman hailing from Bihar who had developed close friendship with Abdul Rashid, one of the missing persons, in July 2016. Yasmin Mohmmed was arrested along with her four-year-old son from New Delhi. She had confessed to have maintained her ties with the elusive Rashid even after he went missing under mysterious circumstances.
