Islamic State kills its 'poster girl', say Austrian media reports

A day after a French intelligence official told bdnews24.com that scores of European recruits were deserting the Islamic State, Austrian media has reported how the radicals have beaten to death their 'poster girl'.

The French intelligence official is in Delhi to secure 'feedback' from Indian counterparts about Islamic State (IS) deserters who have returned to India.
 
The official told bdnews24.com on condition of anonymity that the versions of the Indian deserters 'more or less' matched those of deserters from European countries.
 
"These inputs we get from the deserters are crucial for the de-radicalisation programme we devise," the intelligence official said.

Now Austrian media has reported that one of the two teenage girls from Vienna who joined the Islamic State and became 'poster girls' of the group have been beaten to death while trying to escape.

Nothing is known about the other Austrian girl.

Scores of Western and South Asian recruits of the Islamic State are deserting the group because they are disillusioned by their mindless brutalities, according to Western and Indian intelligence.

Samra Kesinovic, 17, travelled to Syria last year with her friend Sabina Selimovic, 15, from Vienna.

The two soon started appearing in many propaganda videos put out by the IS, flaunting Kalashnikov assault rifles and surrounded by male fighters.

By October, there were some media reports quoting their friends saying Samra was sick of IS brutalities and wanted to return home.

Now Austrian media reports quoted by UK's ‘Independent’ newspaper says that Samra Kesinovic has been murdered by IS militants as she tried to flee from Syria’s Raqqa.

One report quotes an "insider", an unnamed Tunisian woman who reportedly also travelled to Syria and lived with the two girls. This Tunisian woman successfully fled Raqqa and returned home but managed to remain in touch with the two Austrian girls.

She is quoted by Austrian media as saying that Samra was mercilessly beaten to death by IS militants in a public place, perhaps to scare potential deserters from trying to run away.

The Austrian foreign and interior ministries have not confirmed the reports, saying 'something like this will take time to check out'.

European governments are worried about young Muslims lured by IS propaganda, specially on the internet.

India and Bangladesh agencies are also on the alert, looking out for some of their young citizens falling victim to IS propaganda.

On Wednesday, India's State Minister for Home Khiren Rijjuju said his government was 'very much aware' of the IS threat.

But he said countering IS propaganda bait through an effective campaign that exposed its brutalities was most important. 

Bangladesh police on Wednesday picked up one Nahid Hossain from Dhaka's Badda area, accusing him of carrying out 'pro-IS propaganda’ on the internet.