US airstrikes may cause more Malaysians to join Isis, says paper
(The Malaysian Insider) – More Malaysian sympathisers of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) may feel compelled to join the movement now that it is under attack by Western countries such as the United States, The Star Online reported.
Professor Mohd Kamarulnizam Abdullah, a terrorism expert attached to Universiti Utara Malaysia, told the paper that “many more” Malaysians were likely to join the fight as the US-led airstrikes on Isis militants in Syria could aggravate anti-Western sentiments.
“The airstrikes have the opposite effect here… making them (the sympathisers) hate the US and its allies even more.
“Many more will be attracted to want to go to Syria as a result,” Kamarulnizam was quoted as saying.
Kamarulnizam, who is director of the UUM Institute for Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, told The Star that Isis was an “outlet” for Malaysians who had previously supported groups such as the Jemaah Islamiah (JI).
“After JI was crippled, there was no outlet for them and then Isis came into the picture, something they had long waited for,” he said.
He also warned of “second line” supporters, “people who do not plan to go to Syria but who are likely to help by sending money and other forms of support to the militants.
“We don’t really know their numbers,” he told The Star.
The US military recently launched air raids against the Isis group in Syria, with dozens of bombing runs flown by American and Arab aircraft.
According to a report by AFP, the raids have struck Isis-controlled oil refineries, tanks, artillery, buildings and other targets, even as the militants continued to gain ground in some areas, including near a contested town near the Turkish border where Kurdish forces have been pushed back.
Officials have detected scores of Malaysian citizens fighting for Isis in Syria.
The latest arrest saw three jihadists picked up by Bukit Aman at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) before boarding a flight to Turkey, where they would have made their way to Syria to join Isis.
Meanwhile, according to The Star, a fifth Malaysian has been reported killed in Syria.
Afiq Heusen Rahizat, 25, from Kluang, entered Syria on April 6 together with his brother, Aqif Heusen, who is believed to be still in Syria.
Last week, the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (Ipac) warned that 22 Malaysians currently fighting in Syria had joined up with militants from Indonesia to form their own military unit, the “Katibah Nusantara Lid Daulah Islamiyyah” (Malay archipelago unit for the Islamic State).
The new unit was expected to facilitate the recruitment of Indonesians who could not communicate in English or Arabic.
