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Security agencies have recently identified a few pro-IS social media groups actively encouraging women to join jihad by acquiring arms training and preparing themselves mentally and physically for terrorist activities. Top official sources confirm that these groups are under continuous surveillance for inciting unsuspecting Muslim women to participate in armed combat. Furthermore, one of these platforms circulated a document explaining how to use UAVs (drones) for targeted attacks, raising serious alarm.
With Maharashtra's biggest festival, Ganeshotsav, beginning on Saturday, heavy crowds are expected on the streets as devotees visit various Ganesh mandals for darshan. Additionally, the Mount Mary Festival will start on September 16, marking the beginning of the festival season. The recent discovery of pro-ISIS group activities has put agencies on high alert. Officials fear that any suspicious activity during this period could trigger a major crisis, including potential riots.
According to a top official from the security agency, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, these pro-ISIS groups have been identified and are under surveillance. The agency intercepted several coded chat messages revealing that sympathizers are attempting to recruit women for combat roles. Pro-ISIS operatives are inciting women and girls to seek revenge against authorities by targeting individuals whose associates, close relatives, and family members have been involved in suspicious activities aimed at enforcing Sharia law in India and who have been arrested in various states. They use podcasts within these groups to exploit controversial issues, such as the hijab ban in colleges, fabricated stories about the exploitation of minorities over beef consumption, and incidents of mob lynching to incite resentment and provoke retaliation. Additionally, they employ audiobooks to instruct women on how to arrange their own funds and training for combat, often without their families’ knowledge, in preparation for jihad.
Moreover, the agency has identified additional pro-ISIS groups sharing instructions on using advanced technology, including drones, for attacks. This trend highlights a growing strategy of lone wolf attack training strategically designed to mask their direct combat roles, given their potential disadvantages in physical combat and weapon use compared to male counterparts. Instead, these women are equipped with advanced technology to deliver significant damage from a distance, bypassing the need for traditional battlefield engagement.
According to sources, the identities of most women who have joined these groups are masked. They use VPN networks to obscure their involvement, and findings indicate that many of these women are well-educated and highly capable.
Typically, women's participation in militant activities was often restricted, However groups like the Islamic State (IS) have expanded these roles, particularly in response to heavy losses and strategic needs. For instance, Islamic State narratives emphasized women's roles as mothers and wives, However, over the time, IS began actively recruiting women for security functions, using them for recruitment, logistical support, and, more recently, in honey trap operations. Recently, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested Nashik-based engineer Hussaif Abdul Aziz Sheikh, who was honey-trapped by the widow of global terrorist Shafi Armar, also known as Yusuf-Al-Hindi. Armar was assassinated in a 2015 American drone attack in Raqqa, Syria.
