Islamic State's new video includes old footage

NEW DELHI: The latest Islamic State (IS) propaganda video showing ex-Indian Mujahideen (IM) fugitives who fled to Pakistan after 2008 along with jihadi recruits from Kalyan, Mumbai, is essentially a patchwork of old, previously seen clips interspersed with "substantial" portions that are new and freshly uploaded.

Importantly, the central security establishment suspects that the primary purpose behind releasing the video, which shows Indian IS recruits talking of attacks to avenge the Babri masjid demolition and "atrocities against Muslims" during the Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar riots, is to enhance the appeal of IS among Indian Muslims and boost the outfit's recruitment here.

Some parts of the video featuring IM figures seem to have been shot earlier in Pakistan and another is a year old. "We are examining if the new footage was shot in Syria.It is also being verified how and when the ex-IM cadres travelled from Pakistan to Syria," said an officer.

This effort to enhance its profile and gain recruits comes even as IS is seeing reverses in Iraq and Syria and there is a sense of disenchantment among European recruits with IS's 'brutal' assault tactics and treatment of prisoners and people in areas of its dominance.

"While we are still examining why the video, an editjob comprising old and new clips, was released at this point of time, we feel its aim is to ride on emotive issues and perceived grievances of Indian Muslims, to radicalise young minds and project IS as a champion of its cause," an NIA officer said.

Of late, there has been a perceptible gravitation of radicalised Muslims across India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, who hitherto identified with organisations like IM, SIMI, Jaish, LeT and Jamaatul-Mujahideen (Bangladesh) towards IS due to the latter's success in acquiring territory touted as the 'Caliphate'.Only recently , IS chief for Bangladesh Shaykh Abu Ibrahim Al Hanif had declared IS's intention to use fighters from Pakistan and Bangladesh to mount "guerilla attacks inside India" by partnering local mujahideen.

According to sources in intelligence and investigating agencies examining the IS video released on May 14, 5-6 Indians featured in it have been identified, including top IM terrorist involved in Batla House encounter Mohammad Sajid alias Bada Sajid, Abu Rashid, also associated with IM; and Kalyan youth Fahad Sheikh and Aman Tandel who travelled to Iraq-Syria in mid-2014. Their identity was confirmed after their families were contacted.

Interestingly, some clips in the IS video featuring Bada Sajid and Abu Rashid, both from Azamgarh in UP, are similar to videos shot and uploaded while they were still in Pakistan, sources in the intelligence agencies told TOI. Even the clip where the IS recruits from India are shown in a boat flashing automatic weapons is almost a year old.

Intelligence reports dating back to November 2015 had claimed that Bada Sajid was among 5-6 Indian IS fighters killed in IS territory. Other dead included Saheem Farooque Tanki from Kalyan, Athif Vaseem Mohammed from Telangana and Faiz Masood, Maulana Abdul Kadir Sultan Armar and Mohammad Umar Subhan from Karnataka.

"The portion in the video showing Bada Sajid is being examined to establish if it was shot in Pakistan or Syria, and if it was shot before he is believed to have been killed," said an officer.