The anti-terrorism squad (ATS) shot and killed an ISIS Khorasan module terrorist during the intervening night of March 7 and 8. The terrorist was suspected to have links to the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast, which injured 10 people, near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday.
The operation went on for several hours and ended after midnight in the outskirts of Lucknow, where the terrorist was holed up. After months of India denying the presence of ISIS in the country, the attack on Tuesday confirmed its presence.
"The slain terror suspect belongs to the Khorasan module of the ISIS and was an active member. But, whether he has been indoctrinated or not is a matter of investigation," IG ATS Aseem Arun said. The terrorist was identified as Mohammed Saiful.
Here's everything you need to know about the ISIS Khorasan module:
In January 2015, the Islamic State announced that it had expanded to the Khorasan province. Khorasan is a historic name for the for a region that covers Afghanistan, Pakistan, parts of India, and other surrounding countries. The ISIS Khorasan province is also known as the Wilayat Khorasan.
Deceased Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, an Islamic State group's spokesman, made the announcement that former Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander Hafiz Saeed Khan will be the governor of the province in Khorasan and former Taliban commander in southern Afghanistan, Abdul Rauf Khadim will be the deputy governor.
After the announcement, a group of former Pakistani Taliban (TTP) members pledged their allegiance to the ISIS.
By June 2015, the ISIS wrested control of many parts of Nagarhar Province in Afghanistan. Two months later, the Afghanistan-based militant group, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) pledged allegiance to the jihadi group.
The Khorasan unit of the Islamic state group has conducted multiple attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan and has managed to recruit from India.
In nationwide searches from June to February, security agencies in India detained people from Hyderabad, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka for their links to ISIS. More than 60 Indians have reportedly joined ISIS since 2014. More than 22 youth from Kerala have fled the country to join the group in Syria.
Bangladesh also has a strong ISIS presence, which the country denies. However, a report by Stratfor, a global intelligence company based in Austin, Texas, in 2016, said that "the Islamic State is expanding its reach around the globe, and its latest focus is on Bangladesh."
In October 2016, the ISIS magazine Rumiyah claimed responsibility for the Holey Artisan Bakery attack and wrote about it in detail.
