New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) is making a major shift in its digital operations and this is proving to be a worry for the Indian security agencies who are battling a major problem of radicalisation. The security agencies are worried as the ISKP is seeking to create a Caliphate mindset in India through Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The ISKP which has developed a pattern in the way it operates in South India is applying the same rule book for the rest of the country. The agencies have learnt that the terror outfit is relying very less on ground operations and moving completely towards a radicalisation only module.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that this is an extremely dangerous trend. The ISKP has successfully implemented this modus operandi in the Southern states.

In fact it was easier to implement this in South India as there were plenty of factors such as the Wahhabi spread and Poplar Front of India (PFI) footprint that helped the Islamic State, the official said.

The official said that this model that the Islamic State that only focusses on radicalisation is not aimed at carrying out terror attacks. It is aimed at brainwashing the youth so that they can create a society which believes in the Sharia law and the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate, the official added.

There are parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu where such a model has been successful. While the Islamic State is looking to expand its reach in the rest of South India, it is also actively focussing on the northern parts of the country.

An official said that if one looks at the bigger picture, the Islamic State wants to create its version of societies across the country which would believe in being run by a Caliphate, governed by the Sharia law and not the government.

This is dangerous because if the mindset of the people begins to change, then the entire nature of a society changes, the official explained.

The experts say that the job for the Islamic State has become easier thanks to the advent of AI.

All major groups such as the Al-Qaeda and Islamic State have moved completely towards the AI model of radicalisation.

While AI has helped these terror groups generate content in very large numbers, the biggest advantage for these terror groups is that they have been able to push their agenda to a much larger audience thanks to ease of translation.

This has not only enhanced reach, but has also reduced manpower considerably for these terror groups.

Officials say that while the larger goal would be the Caliphate and the Sharia law, the Islamic State has with the help of technology, been picking up information about specific parts of the country. The boring issues in a particular place is what the Islamic State would speak about before bringing in the larger picture.

The localised push helps the terror group connect instantly with the people and this helps in faster and widespread radicalisation, officials say.

Another dangerous trend that the security experts warn of is the possible use of chatbot radicalisation. The Islamic State, through its publication Voice of Khorasan, is already speaking about using this technology.

This would be one of the most dangerous phase in the battle against radicalisation. When bots are carrying out radicalisation activity, then whom do the agencies chase, an official asks.

Some one sitting in Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan or any part of the world can programme a bot to undertake a radicalisation exercise. This eliminates manpower and the agencies will find it extremely hard to track the person who has been using bots to undertake a large scale radicalisation programme in India.

The Islamic State through its publication Voice of Khorasan had recently declared AI literacy as a “fard al-ayn,” which is a religious obligation which should be performed by every Muslim like fasting, prayer and pilgrimage.

The current phase of terror and the way the Islamic State plans to use it in India and many other countries is alarming and will pose an immense security challenge for the agencies, an official points out.

–IANS

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