Karwar: Abu Yusuf al-Hindi alias Mohammad Shafi Armar, known as ‘Unjaan Bhai’ or ‘unknown brother’, was believed to be killed in an attack on Islamic State by Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Raqqa of Syria recently.
This is not the first time that security agencies are claiming about his death. Fed up with repeated news of his death, his family members have clarified that they have not been in touch with Shafi for the last 10 years and they have not got any official word on his death.
“How many times will you kill him? Last time we got news that Shafi is killed and after sometime, the US agencies listed him in the global terrorists list,” said a family member. Shafi Armar who hails from Bhatkal town was named in the list ‘Global Terrorists’ by the United States’ Treasury Department, alleging that he is playing a key role in IS operations targetting India two months ago.
Indian intelligence agencies have not yet confirmed about the death of Shafi. On Monday, IS released a message in its mouthpiece, ‘Amaq’, informing that the terrorist group had lost ‘Indian al-Hindi’ along with an Australian fighter, Abu Fahad, during a battle with Kurdistan Workers’ Party. But no other agency has confirmed the death of Shafi. However, Sahfi’s mother and brother who are staying in Bhatkal have not got any confirmation about the death of Shafi.
They are now fed up with such news that keep appearing. “We are not in touch with Shafi for the last ten years,” Shafi’s younger brother Safwan said. Shafi Armar’s brother Sultan Abdul Kadir Armar is one of the founding members of Indian Mujahideen (IM) along with Yasin Bhatkal.
After internal disputes and following the arrest of Yasin Bhatkal, Sultan moved to Kobane of Syria with his younger brother Shafi. In the 2015 battle, Sultan was killed and Shafi emerged as a key figure on the jihadi landscape. Both the brothers grew up in Bhatkal with neo-fundamentalist religious leanings. After completion of SSLC (high school), Shafi was sent to Nadwat-ul-Ullema seminary in Lucknow like his brother Sultan.
According to NIA, in 2008 both fled to Karachi following the arrest of IM members. Later, they were involved in ISIS activities. Another brother of Shafi, who works in Dubai, has not come back to India for many years. According to the police, due to inquiries from the investigation agencies and other reasons, he must have stopped coming to India. Shafi’s younger brother Safwan lives in Bhatkal with his mother and his father died a couple of years ago.