Kannur, Jan 19 (PTI): An Islamic State (ISIS) recruit from the district has been killed in Syria, police said in Kannur on Friday.

Confirming the death of Abdul Manaf (30), a native of Valapattinam in the district in November last year, a senior police official said the news was received by his relatives on January 17 from his friend, who is also in Syria, through Telegram messenger app.

Manaf was a local leader of the Kerala based Popular Front India. He had also worked as the office secretary of the outfit in Delhi for some time before joining the ISIS, he said.

Manaf was also involved in the murder of a CPI(M) worker in 2009, he said.

Kannur DySP Sadanandan confirms that family of 27 yr old Abdul Manaf has got a message that Manaf has been killed fighting for ISIS in Syria. #Kerala pic.twitter.com/3Qr7P2VgBx

— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2018

About 15 persons from Kannur district have joined the terrorist outfit over a period of time.

Of them, six, including Manaf, have been killed in Syria while another five were arrested and handed over to NIA for investigation, Sadanandan said, adding, the remaining four are in Syria fighting for the ISIS.