Minutes after US began its military campaign against Iraq today, Muslim leaders in Asia have condemned the attack and warned that the superpower would pay the price.

A Reuters report quoted Syafii Maarif head of the 30-million strong moderate Muhammadiyah Muslim group in Indonesia as saying that " this was not an attack o­n Islam but an attack o­n humanity".

Also condemning the strikes was PAS acting president Abdul Hadi Awang who said Allah would see to US eventual downfall.

"This despicable war exposes the ugliness of America and its allies," said the parliamentary opposition leader.

"PAS is convinced that this war is the start of America's destruction because Allah will not let any major power reign supreme forever," he stressed.

The spokesperson for Thailand's Muslim for Peace Group Murid Timasaen warned that Americans would never live in peace again.

"They have attracted more enemies than ever, not o­nly from the Muslim world, but also from the Buddhist community.

"Countries like Iraq don't have the capacity to fight the Americans in a conventional war, so more terrorist means will be deployed against the Americans," he said.

Fear of reprisals

On the political front, Deputy Defence Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal said he feared reprisals by Iraqi sympathisers in other countries.

"What is also a concern to us is the retaliation o­n other countries or possible attacks. I hope there won't be but I foresee there will be some kind of sympathisers, and a number of people who will organise something else that will cause a lot of damage to other countries and their nationals.

"I do hope that they can control their feelings but they are o­nly human," he was quoted as saying by the international news agency.

Pledging support for the military campaign was Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who said Manila was providing support to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction.

"The Philippines is part of the coalition of the willing. We are giving political and moral support for actions to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction," she said.

Upsurge in terror

The country's Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Lauro Baja who is attending the Asean foreign ministers meeting in Malaysia said the greatest fear of Asean ministers is that the war could lead to an upsurge in terrorism and have negative effects o­n the global economy were

"The hopes of the international community is that this war will be short," he added.

In Indonesia, Chief Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters that the cabinet would discuss the US attack at a meeting later but did not elaborate further.

Thailand premier Thaksin Shinawatra said his country wanted no part in the war but said they were prepared to help rehabilitate Iraq o­nce the military campaign ends.

"We are ready to help rehabilitate (Iraq) after the fighting, up to the extent of our resources," he said.

"At this stage, we hope the war casualties will be confined o­nly to military targets and not civilians, " he added.

On the other hand, China had no immediate comment o­n the issue but in a rare move had broadcasted live the announcement by US President George W Bush that the war had began.