Malaysia cuts off route used by militants to join IS in Syria

[webfact]

Malaysia cuts off route used by militants to join IS in Syria



KUALA LUMPUR: -- The police crackdown on Islamic State (IS) militants here has dealt a blow to the terror group’s use of Malaysia as a transit point for recruits headed to Syria to join its ranks, The Star Online reported.

A recruiter in Syria for the militant group just posted a warning on the IS website urging Indonesians not to transit in Malaysia, saying that to do so would be suicidal.

Using the name Abu Hud, he said that many Indonesians who transited the country in recent months had been arrested before they could reach their destination.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said that while the counter-terrorism division hunted Malaysians trying to join IS, it kept an eye out for IS recruits of other nationalities.

“We are glad our efforts are showing results and are preventing militants from joining IS through Malaysia. We will continue our vigilance at all exit and entry points to ensure no one slips through our net,” he told The Star.

The diverse international air routes from Kuala Lumpur make it easy for anyone going from this region to reach Syria via Turkey, especially militants trying to avoid detection. Several Indonesian IS recruits have pretended to be Malaysians and travelled to Turkey while some Malaysian IS recruits have gone to Indonesia and then to Turkey.

With Malaysia no longer a viable option, the militants would probably switch to alternate routes such as via Brunei, Hong Kong, China and some European countries to get to Turkey and then Syria, sources said.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/malaysia-cuts-off-route-used-militants-join-syria


-- Thai PBS 2015-01-14

[halloween]

Completely the wrong approach IMHO. I'd prefer to see free tickets given to anybody willing to kill and die for their religion, so that they can be concentrated in one area and exterminated.

[Carl64]

Completely the wrong approach IMHO. I'd prefer to see free tickets given to anybody willing to kill and die for their religion, so that they can be concentrated in one area and exterminated.

Totally agree with you. Let them go, cancel their passports and wipe them off the face of the earth.

[Prbkk]

One of the dangers in this approach is that more will stay at home and contemplate the small cell activities like in Paris...there are thousands and thousands of 'soft targets' on home soil and in other places with easier access.

[wileycoyote]

Fewer number of routes ,easier to track

[outsider]

One of the dangers in this approach is that more will stay at home and contemplate the small cell activities like in Paris...there are thousands and thousands of 'soft targets' on home soil and in other places with easier access.

Good point, ditto previous posters who said to let them go on a one-way ticket. This worry about the wannabe militants staying home and contemplating small-cell activities is quite real, I think. That's because Malaysian Muslims practices a branch of Islam that is not 'aligned' to what IS preaches (do correct me on this point if I'm wrong). And we know IS just murders anyone who doesn't agree with them. Muslims or not.

[Jonmarleesco]

'... the militants would probably switch to alternate routes such as via Brunei, Hong Kong, China and some European countries to get to Turkey ...' Then let's trust other governments prove as effective as Malaysia seemingly has.

[natway09]

Malaysia,,,,, talk to Indonesia & get them to do the same,