Pages - Menu

26 June 2014

Malaysian jihadists in Syria

Looks like we have a serious problem. Young Muslim men are joining the islamists groups to fight overseas. In the first video, the boys were clearly excited and happy to be there. If it wasn't for the tanks and guns, one would think that they were in summer camp. The others on the ground watching them must be wondering why this group is so happy.

This is really sad and worrying.

What motivates them to take up arms to kill others in a foreign country? Most importantly is why.

I hope our government is aware of this problem even before it was publicised. I believe our intelligence agencies like the Special Branch, whom have proven to be a highly effective organisation are on the ball.

This is very real.

Beneath the veneer of terrorism, I think it is also a serious social and cultural problem in Muslim society. Hopefully the authorities can stop this before it escalates.








Video of possible Malaysian jihadists up on YouTube

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: PETALING JAYA: A video showing a group of people clad in military outfits with turbans, holding rifles and speaking in Malay has surfaced on Youtube.

The minute and half long video titled ‘Syria- Asian mercenaries fighting in the terrorist ranks’ (the original title in Spanish), showed the men preparing to leave for war.

“The tanks are leaving to its destination…towards the war zone,” a voice is heard speaking Malay with a Northern dialect.

About 10 men were seen holding their smartphones, smiling and cheering on their comrades, some of whom looked Middle-Eastern.

“These are the handsome mujahid (fighters). We are all going to be martyrs,” one of the men said.

“These are our friends. All of them are preparing to fight. Look at my friends. They are not afraid, they will not be cowed,” the man continues.

Shouts of ‘hero-hero Malaya’ (Malayan heroes) could be heard in the background during the speech.

The video, which was picked up from syriantube.net, was uploaded on June 7 and has been viewed more than 5000 times.

On June 18, Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations in New York alleged that 15 Malaysian nationals involved in terrorism and jihadist activities with the militant Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) had been killed in Syria.

According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the representative also alleged that apart from Malaysia, nationals from several other Asean countries were also involved in such activities in Syria.

Recently, a Pahang-born man also made headlines when he became the first Malaysian suicide bomber in Iraq.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/06/25/Jihadist-Youtube-Malaysia/



ISIS and the first Malaysian suicide bomber


PETALING JAYA: Just a year ago, Ahmad Tarmimi Maliki was a quiet 26-year-old factory worker. Now, he has the dubious honour of being Malaysia’s first suicide bomber linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS).

He is credited with blowing up 25 elite Iraqi soldiers at Iraq’s SWAT headquarters in al-Anbar on May 26.

Reports state that Ahmad Tarmimi, who received militant training in Port Dickson at the end of last year, drove a military SUV filled with tonnes of explosives into the SWAT headquarters, blowing himself up in the process.

The bombing preceded an attack on the headquarters by ISIS commandos.

His exploits were published in the ISIS official website with the title, “Mujahidin Malaysia Syahid Dalam Operasi Martyrdom” with his photograph also featured.

The report also stated that the ISIS militants had seized a large weapon cache from the headquarters. It described Ahmad Tarmimi as the first Malaysian suicide bomber in Iraq.

Ahmad Tarmimi’s family members said their last meeting was in March before he left for the Middle East to further his Islamic studies.

He had been working in a factory in Selangor since 2012. While he did not act strangely, Ahmad Tarmimi had become more pious and more secretive, said his family.

From Facebook postings, it is learnt that Ahmad Tarmimi first went to Syria via Turkey before finally ending up in Iraq, where he turned suicide bomber.

Sources said the ISIS network had local links in South-East Asia, including Indonesia, and many youngsters were being lured to fight the war and die for their Muslim brothers in the Middle East.

ISIS was formed in April 2013 and grew out of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

According to Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (http://www.­trackingterrorism.org), ISIS has extensive financial resources (mostly derived from alleged organised crime activities in areas of control as well as diaspora funds and unidentified financial sponsors from within Gulf states) as well as human capital that enable operations in various locations. This is seen in attacks executed in areas regarded as primarily Shi’a areas in Iraq, such as Najaf, Karbala, Kut and Wasit as well as bombings in Baghdad (Iraq).

ISIS has since become one of the main forces to launch attacks against government forces in Syria and Iraq.

Reports revealed that the final “S” in the acronym ISIS stems from the Arabic word “al-Sham”.

This can mean the Levant, Syria or even Damascus but in the context of the global jihad, it refers to the Levant, an area that now consists of Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and part of southern Turkey.

The organisation is led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Little is known about him, but it is believed he was born in Samarra, north of Baghdad, in 1971 and joined the insurgency that erupted in Iraq soon after the 2003 US-led invasion.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/06/14/ISIS-and-the-first-Malaysian-suicide-bomber/

No comments:

Post a Comment