Islamic State kids want to come home

Alfian Z.M. Tahir Alfian Z.M. Tahir Updated 7 years ago · Published on 22 May 2019 7:00AM · 6 Comments

An inscription reading ‘Islamic State, state of Raqqa, Islamic Services Commission, Unified Taxation Office’ painted on a wall of a destroyed building in central Raqqa city, Syria. Many former Islamic State supporters are now stuck in a refugee camp in the northeastern Syrian city. – EPA pic, May 22, 2019.

ALMOST half of the Malaysians, who supported the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and who want to come home now, are children, said Special Branch Counter-Terrorism principal director Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.

Ayob told The Malaysian Insight that the children – 12 boys and six girls – were taken into war-torn Syria by their parents who believed in the caliphate and threw their support behind IS.

“The total number of Malaysians left in Syria now is 65 and 39 of them have contacted us, wanting to come home,” he said.

“Among the 21 adults who want to come back, 10 are men.

“The children and the women are being held at the Al-Houl refugee camp in Raqqa,” Ayob said while not disclosing the ages of the children. 

After the fall of IS, many of the Malaysians are trapped in Syria with the women and children held at refugee camps while the men are in jail, he said.

Commenting on the 39 who want to come home, he said a majority of them were former restaurant helpers, traders and housewives.

Only a small group of men came from the private sector. One was a former medical assistant attached to a government hospital.

“The medical assistant used his expertise to treat the wounded. Other than him, they were all traders, restaurant helpers and the women were housewives,” Ayob said. 

“The women did not get involved in the war. They just followed their husbands to Syria and they brought along their children.

“They are from various states like Selangor, Sabah, Kelantan, Johor, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Kedah, Perak, Pahang and Terengganu.”

Special Branch Counter-Terrorism principal director Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay discloses that many Malaysians who went to Syria were restaurant helpers, traders and housewives. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, May 22, 2019.

Statistics from the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman revealed that 102 Malaysians travelled to Syria in the beginning of 2013 to join IS.

The masterminds – Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi and Zainuri Kamaruddin – were killed along with 35 other Malaysians.

Intelligence reports later revealed that eight Malaysians were suicide bombers.

The Malaysian Insight learnt that the process of bringing home the 39 will take time as it needs the approval of the government.

Another source said the 39 have nowhere to go except to come after the fall of IS in Syria.

“Some of them burnt their passports as soon as they got there but are now regretting it. So there is another obstacle for them,” the source said.

The source added that the returning Malaysians will have to undergo a de-radicalisation programme once they’re home.

“Of course, they will not be sent back straight into society. And even when they are allowed back into society, they will be monitored.”

Last October, a Malaysian woman and her two children were brought back after her husband was killed in a gun battle.

The woman and the children were the first Malaysians to be brought home from Syria since the war erupted there in 2011. – May 22, 2019.

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Comments

  • It is best if our government can follow the lead of other countries which have faced similar circumstances and REFUSE entry to these people. It's better to be a little firm from the beginning than regret later when violence and loss of life may be the result because of carelessness or playing to the gallery now.

    Posted 7 years ago by Simple Sulaiman · Reply

  • How do we know that they have not been secretly trained to make bombs etc to wage war against our Agong?

    Posted 7 years ago by Yoon Kok · Reply

  • What were these women doing when their husbands were sexually assaulting the Yazidi girls. Were they just bystanders? Why wait until ISIS was militarily defeated before wanting to return home? What does it mean by burning their passports when they arrived in Syria? Please be careful bringing back all those associated with isis as we are asking for trouble we don't need. These people can never be trusted.

    Posted 7 years ago by Gabriel Chelliah · Reply

  • At this early age the 12 boys and 6 girls looks pretentiously innocent but when the calling comes they will immediately becomes a monster. Whether they are restaurant helpers or housewives the moment they step foot into ISIS beliefs and Caliphate they are totally different with hell bent ideology for a cause to wreck destructions on kafirs and non ISIS members. Their dreams are to be in the ISIS Caliphate. The remaining Malaysian in Syria or Middle East are not the norm Malays but fully and deeply radicalised , entrenched with violent thoughts of enforcing their ISIS teaching and ideology. Do not feel proud that Malayisa has been successful in de-radicalise program for the Malaysian terroists as they can be in the the sleepers mode to justify their return to society and also the volume are still small. With the returnees it is very easy for the defeated Burggerdadi to set up a new base in Malaysia for the returnees remnants of ISIS fighters are already established involuntarily by the Government support in being kind forgiving. What more to worry when the environment is favourable for Malaysia has open door policy in welcoming many other foreigners due to the Muslim"saudara" acceptance and this is the biggest potential to activate the "sleeping" returnees from Syria. Coupled to that we are offering PR for foreign Muslim clerics who are expounding divisive line of thoughts and happily the Goernment have blindly being indifferent . Why is the Government and PDRM looking for trouble. This is also another ammunitions to add into the opposition war chest !!!!!!! Realistically nothing short of death can release all these terrorists returnees from the clutches of ISIS extremist teaching. Forget about the bangsa dan agama. A fail safe idot proof decision is very much needed to prevent the country from being obliterated.. Act wisely now !!!!!!!!!!!. All these are garbage that has no contribution but a potential troubles that the country is not abled to handle.

    Posted 7 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • Don't waste our money and time on these terrorists. The money going to spent on this can be utilized to some other good causes.

    Posted 7 years ago by Thiagarajan Ramasamy · Reply

  • All Jihadist who went to Syria no matter women children or man they ALL WENT TO SYRIA with a Target to Protect n Uphold Islam . They should Accomplish their MISSION N DIE FOR ISLAM. Why make U TURN. Religion is above All . They shld Sincerely Serve people of Syria n happily live there it was their OWN CHOICE. MALAYSIA SHOULD NOT ACCEPT TERRORIST WHO WERE NEVER FAITHFULL TO THEIR BORN COUNTRY N AGONG. Zakir Naik will Convert the Children to Suicide Bomb. Non Malays Living in malaysia are goin to Suffer if All these TERRORIST COME BACK.

    Posted 7 years ago by Mindy Singh · Reply