Mumbai youth who joined Islamic State killed in Syria, terror outfit calls him 'martyr'

In an official acknowledgment, the Islamic State on Tuesday confirmed the death of Aman Tandel, the Kalyan youth who left for Syria to fight for the Islamic State, a report published in DNA said. The Islamic State paid tribute to Tandel on Telegram, a social networking site. While hailing him a “martyr”, the message added that he died in Raqqah — a city under the control of the terror group, the report said. [caption id=“attachment_3106034” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] A report published in The Hindu on Thursday said that security agencies confirmed the death of the Kalyan youth. “We cannot say when and how it happened, but on the basis of accounts provided by the family and other foreign agencies, it is confirmed that Tandel died in clashes in Syria,” the paper quoted an official as saying. In November, the family of Aman Tandel received an unknown call from Turkey informing them of his death in an airstrike, reported Mid Day. Tandel, an electrical engineer, along with two others, travelled to Iraq on the pretext of a pilgrimage in June 2014. He is the second India-born Islamic State fighter to be killed after Saheem Tanki — who is believed to have been killed in August 2015, The Hindu reported. Meanwhile, a Mumbra-based youth Tabrez Tambe, who reportedly joined the Islamic State, came under the scanner of the Maharashtra ATS after the investigation agency refused to accept his claim that he is incarcerated in Libya, reported Mumbai Mirror. Tambe reportedly called his brother Saud two weeks back and informed him of his arrest by Libyan authorities, the report added. However, the ATS claims it has not yet received any report on his detention from Libya. The investigative agency believed that Tambe might be faking the story to avoid being arrested in India.