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Amid reports that some Indian youths may have joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIS) in its battle against the Nouri al-Maliki government in Baghdad, the Intelligence Bureau has warned the home ministry that the Iraq conflict might set off a fresh outbreak between Shias and Sunnis within India.
The agency alerted the government on the immediate need to sensitise special branch units in states that have a high Muslim population. The intelligence note states that states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, among others, should be “sensitised immediately” as reports suggested there was a clear division among Shia and Sunni religious leaders on supporting either the ISIS, primarily a Sunni outfit, or the Shia-dominated al-Maliki government.
“Some clerics, both Sunni as well as Shia, are already mobilising support from followers for either of the two factions fighting in Iraq. The special branch should keep a close watch on such activities,” the report adds.
Intelligence sources said it was possible that subversive elements might try to recruit more youths for the jihad in Iraq from Maharashtra’s Marathwada region.
“There are reports that a number of terror sleeper cells are active in the Marathwada region and the state ATS and the local SIB have already been briefed in detail. These agencies are drawing up a list of missing youth from the region,” a senior IB official said.
The intelligence agencies suspect though initial reports suggested only four boys may have joined ISIS, the real figure of those involved in the Iraq jihad could be higher.
“We are trying to prepare a list of Indian men working in Gulf countries or countries neighbouring Iraq who have not been in touch with their families since the Iraq crisis broke out. We will then have to find if the missing men have shifted to Iraq or not. But it seems the figure could be much higher than four,” the official added.
Iraq could trigger Shia-Sunni clashes in India: IB | The Asian Age
The agency alerted the government on the immediate need to sensitise special branch units in states that have a high Muslim population. The intelligence note states that states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, among others, should be “sensitised immediately” as reports suggested there was a clear division among Shia and Sunni religious leaders on supporting either the ISIS, primarily a Sunni outfit, or the Shia-dominated al-Maliki government.
“Some clerics, both Sunni as well as Shia, are already mobilising support from followers for either of the two factions fighting in Iraq. The special branch should keep a close watch on such activities,” the report adds.
Intelligence sources said it was possible that subversive elements might try to recruit more youths for the jihad in Iraq from Maharashtra’s Marathwada region.
“There are reports that a number of terror sleeper cells are active in the Marathwada region and the state ATS and the local SIB have already been briefed in detail. These agencies are drawing up a list of missing youth from the region,” a senior IB official said.
The intelligence agencies suspect though initial reports suggested only four boys may have joined ISIS, the real figure of those involved in the Iraq jihad could be higher.
“We are trying to prepare a list of Indian men working in Gulf countries or countries neighbouring Iraq who have not been in touch with their families since the Iraq crisis broke out. We will then have to find if the missing men have shifted to Iraq or not. But it seems the figure could be much higher than four,” the official added.
Iraq could trigger Shia-Sunni clashes in India: IB | The Asian Age
