Recruitment in terrorist outfits still on the rise

Despite religious heads and scholars trying to prevent the younger generation from joining terror outfits like ISIS, security experts feel that such groups continue to brainwash and get a good number of sympathisers into its fold from the region.

Officials fear that ISIS has not only added new recruits from the coastal region of Karnataka and Kerala but are also trying to increase the number of sympathisers which in the long run would help.

Muslim religious heads repeatedly preach to members of the community, especially youth to keep themselves away from terror outfits like ISIS. They have been trying to ensure that youth do not indulge in anti national activities and also anti-religious activities.

But based on intelligence and various developments, officials suspect that terror elements try to get their voice stronger and get sympathisers and also recruit youth from the coastal region. Many a time youth join terror outfits without family members noticing it. However, it also true that there is no clear picture about how many have are linkded to terrorist outfits from the region.

“Recently, two youth from Kerala with ISIS links were arrested at Turkish border. They had left home stating that they were going to join work in Bengaluru. But in reality they had ended up in ISIS camp. This is just an example. Most of the recruits leave home stating that they go out to work in North India or Gulf countries but they end up in ISIS camps,” a senior officer told this newspaper.

Thus, it is very difficult to say how many have terror links or are working for terrorist outfits. In most of the cases, the police get to know about the person and his terror link after he is arrested or dies in the field.

“Most of the times youth join terror outfits without proper knowledge. Sleeper cells woo the target youth by displaying that Muslims are in danger in various parts of the world,” he said.