India: IS threat in region strongest from Maldives

Classified reports sent by Intelligence Bureau of India to multiple other Indian agencies says that the future threat of terrorist organization - Islamic State (IS) activities in the region was strongest in Maldives.

News of the classified reports have hit Indian and Sri Lankan media, and it says that there are about 500 IS sympathizers in Maldives, in addition to those who have already travelled out of the country to join the organization.

Maldivian Minister of Defense, Adam Shareef Umar has said just last month that there were IS sympathizers in the country, but that authorities were unable to collect enough evidence against them.

“There is no organization in Maldives sending people out for war. But individuals are suspected of doing it. Government is looking into it,” said Adam Shareef Umar.

The IB classified reports say that IS had been successfully using internet and social media to influence the youth of Maldives, and that IS was determined to expand its network.

It says that threat of IS was most likely to come from Maldives, and not Bangladesh. And that Jamaeytul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) was gaining more influence in Bangladesh than IS.

The classified reports say that the recent Dhaka attack may have actually been carried out by JMB and not IS – though the latter has claimed responsibility.

“The local security agencies in Maldives are fully aware of the issue and have been taking corrective steps regarding the increasing influence and attempts being made by ISIS in the island country. But since the development is happening virtually in India’s own backyard, it means that our security agencies need to be extremely careful about it,” a senior Indian intelligence official was quoted by newspapers as saying.

The reports said that though there were IS sympathizers among the youth of Maldives, the terrorist organization had not yet been able to establish a strong enough presence in the country to carry out any major subversive activities.

Indian counter-terror officials tracking IS activities have predicted their activities in South East Asian region to increase in the coming days.

“We are in touch with our counterparts in Maldives and have been sharing information with them as this issue is not limited to just one country, but will ultimately impact the entire region.

So we need a collective effort to curb this growing menace of ISIS,” said the Indian intelligence official.

Maldivian National Counter-Terrorism Center has said that 49 Maldivians were confirmed to have travelled out of the country to join fighting in other parts of the world.

It said that it wasn’t people educated in Islam joining terrorist organizations, but criminals, people with little awareness on religious matters and people with little or no education.