Malaysia's crackdown on foreign militants has netted another seven suspects, this time from the Abu Sayyaf group in the southern Philippines.

The seven Filipino men were detained in a security sweep by counter-terrorism police in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 14. This brings the number of foreign fighters detained this year to 41, confirming fears that Islamist militants inspired by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and similar groups are seeking refuge in South-east Asian nations like Malaysia.

"The police will continue to launch operations to detect and catch foreign terrorist elements that infiltrate Malaysia," national police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said in a statement yesterday.

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