New Delhi: In a disturbing trend, the Islamic State has changed its recruitment strategy, wherein the targets are women and children. In recent months, the security agencies have found that the target audience for the Islamic State recruiters has been women and children.
In the initial days, women were recruited to be sex slaves in the outfit. They were often taken to either Iraq, Syria or later Afghanistan. Currently, the role of women is quite different, and most of the movement is traced to Afghanistan, where the Islamic State has established its Khorasan Province. The Kerala case is a classic example of how women were being recruited from India into the Islamic State.
An official explains that the Islamic State in Afghanistan wants to establish a permanent society.
The Indian agencies have noticed that many of the posts and the propaganda material that are being posted online and also on encrypted messaging channels have specifically asked for women to join the outfit. Advice has also been given to the men to trap women and travel with them to Afghanistan.
With the outfit facing heavy losses, it is focusing heavily on the Islamic State Khorasan Province. When the Islamic State started out in Afghanistan, it had suffered major losses at the hands of the US forces and the Taliban. Following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, it faced a tough battle with the Taliban. However, with the support of the ISI, it managed to gain control over some territory.
The Islamic State is planning a long haul in Afghanistan and wants to establish a Caliphate, which it was unable to do in Syria and Iraq.
To make sure the plan works, it has been actively trying to recruit both women and children in large numbers.
A document prepared by the Islamic State titled “Teachers’ Guide for Physical Preparation of Children” speaks more about this programme. The outfit has told its recruiters to rope in children and send them over to Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, they plan to radicalise the children by using their women’s force. Once ready, they would be trained at a very young age. However, they would not be sent to battle immediately.
The intention is to train them for longer periods before they become battle-ready. This also gives the Islamic State a pool of manpower each time they lose someone during a battle.
The woman who is heading this recruitment module for women and children goes by the name Rabiya. She is the wife of Shafi Arman, a former member of the Indian Mujahideen who later on went to join the Islamic State.
Following his death, she began brainwashing her son, stating that she wanted him to be exactly like his father. She also pitched this idea to the leadership, following which a manual was prepared.
Some of the transcripts picked up by the agencies suggest that women should be roped in large numbers, and they should be put in charge of radicalising the children. The first stage would involve radicalisation, and once the brainwashing is done, the training programme would begin.
Rabiya has been overseeing this module, and the agencies say that she has been very active over the last couple of months.
During one such recruitment programme, the children were shown a video titled “Mai Haji Ban Jung.” This is a tribute to Armar and several others who lost their lives fighting for the Islamic State.
Further videos of the Mumbai 26/11 attack and the demolition of the Babri Masjid are also used extensively to indoctrinate the children and women.
(IANS)
