Islamic State man from Kerala tells family he wants to return

“We got a call from Firoz last month. He spoke to his mother Habeeba and expressed his desire to return and surrender. The call came after their caliphate fell to US-backed forces in Syria. He told his mother that they were in great trouble and in utter poverty, fighting for food,’’ a close relative told The Indian Express.

According to the relative, Firoz told his family that the IS had conducted his marriage with a woman from Malaysia, who later left him. “Firoz wanted to know whether he would face any case if he returned home. He wanted to surrender, but did not mention where he planned to do so. We have not heard anything from him since then,’’ the relative said.

Security sources said they were aware of the phone call. “Firoz had been in touch with his family. We had information that he had exhorted his relatives and friends to join the IS and indulge in terror activities. He is one of the accused in the Kasaragod IS module case,’’ sources said.

Intelligence agencies had also found that scores of youths from Kannur district had migrated to Syria to fight for Islamic state. Last year, a youth named Shajahan Valluvakandy, 32, of Koodali in Kannur, was deported from Turkey while trying to enter Syria. “From Kannur district, around 35 persons, including women, had left for Syria. Most of them got killed fighting for the IS,’’ said an officer.