The Libyan government has announced that it has identified at least 50 frontline fighters of ISIS to be Ghanaians.
This was contained in a report from an enquiry into crimes committed in cities across Libya by the so-called Islamic State released by the Head of Investigations at the Office of the Attorney General, Al-Seddiq al-Sour.
Addressing a press conference in late September, al-Sour said the government had identified other countries such as Senegal, Mali and Niger, as also having their nationals as part of ISIS in Libya.
In the report, the Libyan Attorney General said Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan, had more than 100 of their nationals serving in the Salafi jihadist militant group.
It said Ghana, Gambia, Senegal, Niger, Chad, Mali, and Eritrea, had between 50 and 100 of its nationals in the militant group committing various crimes in Libya.
The inclusion of some Ghanaians in ISIS is an issue that has not been thoroughly investigated by Ghanaian authorities, as no official government communication has denied or confirmed the report.
KNUST graduate joins ISIS
In 2015, the Daily Guide newspaper reported that, a 25-year- old graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Nazir Nortei Alema, had joined the terrorist organization.
Extracts from Nazir’s WhatsApp message, received by Kabir, his brother, read as follows: “Pray for me, for I will never forget you in my prayer and it’s my hope and prayer that we meet again if not in this world then in Jannah (paradise). I love you all. May Allah grant us understanding and guide us all to the straight path. Asalaamu alaikum.”
“I told you a lie to please my Allah. The deception was to go do some research work in far away Prestea while the main idea was to move far away from you all to the Islamic State (IS). I know it might sound kind of crazy for you but your son really had to take this bold step to get out of the corrupt system of Ghana which has democracy first on its list.”
Nazir’s family confirmed his disappearance, and he has since not returned.
German-Ghanaian who denounced ISIS faces war crimes charges
Harry Sarfo, a German Ghanian, earlier this year, also confessed to having been a fighter for ISIS. The 28-year-old, who is serving a three-year prison term in Germany on terrorism charges, said he had however avoided participating in the group’s violence.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana