Malaysia faces risks posed by its ISIS fighters in Syria

KUALA LUMPUR • At the height of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria's (ISIS) so-called holy war, more than 100 Malaysian fighters joined the terror group in the Middle East, some of them with families in tow.

Many also recorded their fight on social media.

Seven years later, following the defeat of ISIS, more than 50 Malaysian fighters and their families remain in refugee camps or have unknown location status. Sixteen have been repatriated home.

Malaysia's national police headquarters identified 56 citizens - 19 men, 12 women, 17 boys and eight girls - who were living in Syrian camps or who were at large.

Police said 10 women, 12 boys and five girls are at the Al-Hol refugee camp in north-eastern Syria, while nine Malaysian men are in Al-Hasakah prison. One of them is in prison in Idlib province, near the border of Turkey.

Up till January last year, it was reported that the Al-Hol camp's population was over 60,000, having grown from 10,000 at the beginning of 2019. It has been reported that there are ISIS militants from more than 50 countries at the camp. Described as the "most dangerous camp in the world", it has a huge presence of ISIS elements and regular killings.

"A major challenge for the authorities is that the Malaysian nationals are held in camps controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, which the Malaysian government does not recognise diplomatically.

"Given that many of these camps have become the hotbed of radicalisation, these unrepatriated individuals could be further radicalised, and later attempt to slip into the country," said a report by the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (CPVTR) of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

The report on Malaysia was part of the January 2022 Annual Threat Assessment.

"The Malaysians, who are staying back, have been brainwashed into believing that the fight isn't over and that ISIS will make a comeback.

"The ISIS presence in these camps is too strong and radicalisation continues," said a source.

According to the CPVTR report, at least 48 Malaysians (42 men, one woman and five children) have been killed in Syria.

The report said the recruitment of Malaysians into Syria has fallen in recent years, following the deaths of high-profile Malaysian ISIS fighters and recruiters such as Muhammad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi.

However, the exact numbers and identities of Malaysians still actively involved in militant activities in Syria and other conflict zones remain unknown.

Muhammad Wanndy was killed in a drone attack in Raqqa, Syria, on April 29, 2017. It is believed that he was the mastermind of several attacks in the region, including at the Movida entertainment centre in Puchong, Selangor, in 2016.

In that incident, two ISIS sympathisers on a motorcycle lobbed a hand grenade into the club, injuring eight. It was the first ISIS attack conducted in Malaysia.

The CPVTR report said: "With regards to its citizens still in Syria, Malaysia says it will continue to maintain an open-door repatriation policy.

"Some individuals have expressed a willingness to return home, while others have rejected the government's offer."

The Malaysians who choose to return will be detained and investigated for potential criminal charges while the women and children will undergo a special assessment by psychologists. "If there is sufficient evidence, the women will be charged as well," intelligence sources said.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK