Only seven Indians are currently with Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, with just one in a combat role. Six other Indians who had joined the dreaded terror network have gone down fighting.
According to official sources, two of the seven Indians with IS are from Mumbai's outskirts - Kalyan, and one is an Australia-based Kashmiri. Four others joined the Jihadist group from Telangana, Karnataka's capital Bengaluru, Oman and Singapore.
Among the six Indians who got killed while fighting alongside IS, three were Indian Mujahideen terrorists, including Sultan Ajmer Shah and Bada Sajid who had joined its ranks after being in Pakistan, two from Maharashtra and one from Telangana.
Quoting intelligence inputs, sources said, except for one, none of the six other Indians currently with IS are allowed to go for combat duty and mostly assist the fighters, serving as cooks, drivers and helpers.
The only Indian, who has been given an assault rifle and is deployed for combat, hails from Mumbai outskirts Kalyan, they said.
So far, 17 young men, mostly from Telangana, have been prevented from travelling to Syria, ostensibly to join IS.
{{/usCountry}}So far, 17 young men, mostly from Telangana, have been prevented from travelling to Syria, ostensibly to join IS.
{{/usCountry}}The issue of radicalised Indian youths joining IS had figured prominently during a meeting of top security experts in New Delhi on Saturday.