A day after the startling message to his close relatives that Hafeezuddin, 26, a native of Padanna near Cheruvathur in the district, who was among the 17 suspected to have joined the Islamic State, was killed in a drone strike, the police here are groping in the dark about the information. The Kerala police are still ascertaining the veracity of the information even as a ‘WhatsApp’ message said to have been received by a relative of the ‘slain’ youth showed the photo of his body lying on the ground, Special Branch Deputy Superintendent of Police V.T. Assainar told The Hindu. It still could not be confirmed whether the 17 missing persons, including women and children, are in Iraq or Afghanistan. Meanwhile, a large number of people, including close relatives, were silently visiting Hafeezuddin’s residence to be with the bereaved family as the youth’s father Abdul Hakeem reached home from Abu Dhabi.

Source: The Hindu February 27, 2017 20:48 UTC