Malaysia on alert
as Mosul offensive starts in Iraq - intelligence reports suggest 1000s of Daesh
members may try and return home
Malaysia has been placed on its highest security setting after
intelligence reports suggested thousands of Daesh members may try and return
home as a military operation closes in on Mosul -- the last Daesh stronghold in
northern Iraq.
Iraqi
forces began advancing on the city early Monday, and by midday Kurdish
peshmerga forces of the Kurdish Regional Government had reportedly captured 11
villages east of Mosul from the militants.
On
Monday, Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the alert is in
anticipation of the offensive proving successful.
"If
the offensive attack is successful, Daesh members are expected to either return
to their respective home countries or to [elsewhere in] the Southeast Asian
region," Hussein told reporters in the parliament lobby.
Malysia's
defense ministry and the Royal Malaysian Army have also been ordered to closely
monitor developments in Iraq and Syria to dictate future actions, the minister
added.
"We
are worried that they [Daesh members] might come here and it won't be a small
number... it could be thousands," Hussein stressed.
He
added that via a trilateral relationship between Malaysia, Indonesia and the
Philippines, authorities would gather intelligence reports to strengthen and
protect the region.
All
three countries have been reported to have nationals fighting with Daesh.
Hussein
said that during a recent meeting in the United States, the three countries had
also decided to invite Brunei's defense ministry to join in the effort to
ensure wider coverage.
By
P Prem Kumar KUALA LUMPUR Anadolu Agency
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