Four people including three in a family who are believed to have joined terror outfit Islamic State in Afghanistan, are reported to have been killed in a bomb attack.

A police intelligence officer in Kasargode, the district from where several people have joined IS, told IANS that they have heard the news but there is no official confirmation from the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

"What we have come to know is that the dead include Shihaz, his wife and their child besides another man. We are awaiting more details," said the official who did not wish to be identified.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police KG Simon told TNM that they had got information about the deaths a couple of days ago. “We have not received any official confirmation regarding this,” he said. State Police Chief Loknath Behera’s office also said that there is no official confirmation in connection with it.

With this, the total number of Keralites, killed after joining IS in Afghanistan, has gone up to eight after the NIA last year confirmed the death of four.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the Assembly in 2016 said that 21 people, including children, were missing from the state -- 17 persons from Kasargode and four from Palakkad.

Recently, Yasmin Mohammed Shaheed accused of recruiting 15 people from Kasargode for IS was convicted for seven years by the NIA special court in Kochi.

This was the first Islamic State related case in the state in which the trial was completed, an accused is convicted.

Yasmin is the second wife of Abul Rashid Abdullah who is allegedly the mastermind behind recruiting people from Kerala for IS. The NIA suspects that Adbullah is still in Afghanistan.

Yasmin and her son were arrested at the Delhi airport in August 2016 while they were trying to go to Afghanistan.

With IANS Inputs