Aman Tandel, an electrical engineer, and one of the four men from Maharashtra who joined the Islamic State in 2014, has been killed fighting for the terrorist group in Al-Raqqah, Syria, The Hindu reported today.
Tandel's death was reported by various IS-linked websites, and Terrormonitor.org, a Europe-based non-profit watchdog, confirmed this on 26 December, the newspaper reported. "We cannot say when and how it happened, but on the basis of accounts provided by the family and other foreign agencies, it is confirmed that Tandel died in clashes in Syria," an official from the security establishment toldThe Hindu.
In a tribute posted on Telegram, a social networking application, ISIS said, "During his brief jihad in Syria, Tandel participated in several clashes with Syrian democratic forces west of Al-Raqqah city. Tandel was killed when these forces attacked the IS's positions west of the Tabaqa dam in the Al-Raqqah Governorate."
Naeem Tandel, Aman's father, who lives in Govindwadi area of Kalyan, received a phone call on Saturday night, informing him about his son's death, Press Trust of Indiareported.
Tandel, along with Areeb Majeed, Fahad Sheikh and Saheem Tanki, all hailing from the town of Kalyan, joined ISIS in 2014. While Majeed returned in November 2014 and was arrested by the National Intelligence Agency, Tanki was reported dead, last year. Sheikh was running an ISIS twitter handle which was suspended, last year.
In August 2015, the Centre said that 13 Indians had joined the ISIS, including some living abroad, and six of them were dead.
Also on HuffPost India:
