Islamabad: Calgary suicide bomber Salman Ashrafi who killed 19 Iraqis as a foot soldier of ISIS belongs to Karachi Pakistan and his father is a Ph.D doctor in Finance and his mother is medical doctor (physicist) and they came to Canada from Saudi Arabia. He was killed in November 2013.
Salman Ashrafi who killed 19 Iraqis has become a symbol of radicalisation of youth in western societies.
“This family got immigration in early 90s and came from saudi Arabia where his father had been working after leaving Karachi. This is a wonderful family and we are shocked how did Salman became in Jihadi”, said an old neighbour of Salman Ashrarif while talking to Dispatch News Desk.
People who know the family say that Ashrafi family is a very normal family having great bond of love and affection and Salam was a jolly young boy. The town of Calgary in Canada is known for rich Muslim families and very rich Canadian-Pakistanis who have strong organisation. Community has built mosque cum religious teaching centre in Calgary that preaches interfaith harmony. People believe that Salman could have been radicalised through internet contacts with Jihadis in Pakistan who could directed him to join Jihad in Syria.
After his death, Jihadis have posted a message for Canadians on many forums written by a fellow Canadian jihadist who gives his alias Abu Dujana al-Muhajir.
He cautions Canada against enacting laws aimed at stopping extremist Muslims from leaving the country to join terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-Shabab, saying such measures will not work and will only fuel radicalization.
“Therefore, we urge the Canadian public to take heed from the recent history and not allow their war-mongering governments to get themselves entangled in a war of attrition with the Muslims for decades to come; a war that you an never win for we are a nation of brave lion hearts like Salman Ashrafi.”
Jihadi websites narrated story who salman became a Jihadi:
“Although Salman showed some minor resistance initially to some of our views and concepts” wrote Abu Muhajir without referring to specific works, “his thoughts started to evolve very quickly as we tried our best to expose him to the lectures and writings.” Eventually at the end of 2012, Ashrafi quietly quit his job with Talisman Energy and went to visit his parents in Oman, with an eye on the Syrian front.
In the face of divorce from an disapproving wife, Ashrafi still made the move into Syria through the Turkish corridor, where he met up with what sounds like an international brigade of Mujahideen fighters and his friends from Calgary. After receiving military training and celebrating Eid and Ramahdan with his “brothers,” Ashrafi heeded a call to arms by ISIS and made the trip across the Syrian border into Iraq with another fighter. It wasn’t long after that on November 13th, 2013, Ashrafi detonated a truck full of explosives, killing himself and what Abu Muhajir claims was 46 Iraqi soldiers (something he celebrates with an “Allahu Akhbar!”).
