AN EYE ON SYRIA

India has to balance its security and diplomatic interests at the same time

- NAMRATA BIJI AHUJA

IN MARCH 2015, a source in Turkey informed Indian agencies that Dr Shahnawaz Alam, an Indian Mujahideen operative, was declared dead in Syria. The source had photos of Alam in Turkey before he crossed over. A special cell of the Delhi Police was keeping a close watch and a team was ready to travel in plain clothes just to confirm the news, but the plan was dropped. India did not want to risk diplomatic embarrassment, given the growing uncertainty in the region.

Soon after, there was information that Alam's accomplices, Bada Sajid and Abu Rashid, were also killed. All three men from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh had fled India after the Batla House encounter in Delhi in 2008. They reached the Islamic State-held territory in late 2013 or early 2014 after spending time in Pakistan and Afghanistan, said senior police officers. Some others, such as Anwar Hussain and Shafi Armar from Bhatkal in Karnataka, were also reported dead.

The Azamgarh module, along with some like-minded operatives, was believed to have formed a splinter group of the Indian Mujahideen, called Ansar ut Tawhid, to fight alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan. But as IS influence among jihadists grew across the world, many reportedly shifted base to Syria and Iraq. By 2015, news of killings of many IS mercenaries started trickling in.

Alam's death was important for security agencies as it meant another blow to the terror group that had its roots in the Students' Islamic Movement of India. Since 2012, Saudi Arabia and the UAE had been deporting big catches such as Abdul Wahid Siddibappa, the alleged IM financier, and his mentor Fasih Mehmood. A few others, like alleged bomb-maker Tahseen Akhtar and Waqas, were also brought back to India with cooperation from neighbouring countries.