IS recruit’s SOS to family: Help me return home

NEW DELHI: A 28-year-old youth from Azamgarh in UP, who went to Syria about six months back to join the Islamic State, recently called his family from Raqqa and asked his parents to help him come back home. The young IS recruit is said to be scared of dying in air strikes and has been frantically calling his family members to facilitate his return to India.

“He is also frustrated with the activities of IS and desperately wants to come back,” said an intelligence officer.

The youth was recruited by the Islamic State and sent to Syria about six months back via Turkey by a Dubai-based operative of the militant outfit. However, his family didn’t know about his whereabouts for the past six months and approached the security agencies after receiving his call.

Initial investigations and interaction with his family revealed that the youth also fell sick in Raqqa, where he is presently involved in logistics-related work for Islamic State. “He made several calls to his home in the last few days from different numbers and expressed that he is stuck there. He clearly told his parents that he wants to come back,” said an official.