ISIS has 66 Indian-origin fighters, claims US report

Washington: There were 66 known Indian-origin fighters affiliated with the global terrorist group Islamic State, the latest US State Department report on terrorism has said as it commended India's counterterrorism forces, including the NIA, for actively detecting and disrupting transnational and regional terror forces.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the 2020 Country Reports on Terrorism issued on Thursday, said that India collaborates with the United States on implementing UNSCR 2309 and is enforcing compliance with the dual-screen X-ray mandate for cargo screening at airport locations. The UN Security Council Resolution 2309 calls governments to meet their responsibility to keep citizens secure while travelling by air. The report said that there were 66 known Indian-origin fighters affiliated with ISIS, as of November. No Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) were repatriated to India during 2020, it said.

Highlighting the US-India cooperation, the report said that the United States continues to build its strategic partnership with the Government of India, including through bilateral engagements such as the 17th Counterterrorism Joint Working Group and Third Designations Dialogue in September, as well as the third 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in October.

It also commended the Indian counterterrorism forces, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), for actively detecting and disrupting transnational and regional terror forces.