Did Taliban fighters speak in Malayalam?

A video believed to be that of a Taliban militant crying out of joy has triggered a suspicion that two Taliban fighters were Malayalis.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had triggered the suspicion by tweeting a video clip showing two militants who seem to be communicating in Malayalam. "It sounds as if there are at least two Malayali Taliban here — one who says 'samsarikkette' (let him speak) around the 8-second mark & another who understands him!,' he tweeted.

Tharoor's tweet gained some ground as over 100 youths from Kerala had left India over the last few years to join various extremist outfits, mainly ISIS. Incidentally, on Tuesday also NIA held two women from Kerala for ISIS links and registered case against five others also.

However, the person who posted the video, identified as Ramiz, has countered Tharoor's doubts. "There are no #kerala origin fighters in rank and file of #taliban they are #baloch from #zabul province who speak brahvi and bravhi language is widely spoken among them, its a darvidian language very similar to telgu tamil malyalam etc," he tweeted.

Tharoor reacted that the matter shall be left to the linguists to figure it out. But there have indeed been misguided Malayalis who joined the Taliban, so that possibility cannot be ruled out entirely, he said.

Meanwhile, BJP president J P Nadda alleged that Kerala has become a recruitment ground for extremists and accused the left-front government for failing to contain it.