Man from Kerala led the Islamic State suicide bombing of the Afghan prison

The recent Islamic State attack on a prison in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad was led by an Indian man, sources have said. Hours-long Islamic State attack, which took place on Sunday evening, has left at least 29 people dead.

The Afghan intelligence sources have revealed that at least three out of 11 Islamic State terrorists involved in the attack were of Indian nationality. The leader of the attack is believed to be Kalukettiya Purayil Ijas, a native of Kasargod in Kerala. Kalukettiya Purayil Ijas is also the one who blew himself up along with a truck at the entrance of the prison on Sunday evening, the intelligence sources said.

Sources have told India Today TV that India’s National Intelligence Agency is also trying to trace Islamic State’s Kasargod module, where ‘Indians involved in Jalalabad attack’ were recruited.

The prison in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad was attacked on Sunday evening. At least 29 people, including civilians, prisoners, guards and Afghan security forces, were killed in the gunfight and bombing during the attack.

The attack began on Sunday when an Islamic State suicide bomber – believed to be Kalukettiya Purayil Ijas – drove a car laden with explosives up to the prison’s main gate, detonating the bomb. Islamic State militants opened fire on the prison’s guards and poured in through the breach.

The IS affiliate in Afghanistan, known as IS in Khorasan province and headquartered in Nangarhar province, later claimed responsibility for the attack.

The motive of the attack wasn’t immediately clear. However, some of the 1,500 prisoners there escaped during the fighting. Khyogyani said about 1,000 prisoners who earlier escaped had been found by security forces across the city. It wasn’t immediately clear if any prisoners were still at large.

Several hundred prisoners in Jalalabad are believed to be Islamic State members.

The attack came a day after authorities said Afghan special forces killed a senior Islamic State commander near Jalalabad.

Source: India Today