Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has described the latest suicide bombings in Morocco as a result of how the world chose to fight the war o­n terror.

"We've said that overcoming the problem of terrorism by killing people and by the incursion and invasion of their countries, there'll be horrible consequences. Now, let's just watch what's happening," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

Mahathir, a veteran Muslim leader who was a strong opponent of US plans to attack Iraq said he had stated from the beginning that there should be a stop to the Israeli aggression o­n Palestinians as it had heightened anger among Muslims and provoked them to take revenge.

Out-terrorise

"But they feel that for o­ne of them killed, they'll kill 10. If there are more, we'll conquer your country and topple the government...it seems they can out-terrorise the terrorists.

"It may be true, but I see that these attacks will continue in many places," he said in reaction to the string of suicide bombings in Casablanca late Friday that killed at least 39 people.

He said he could not guarantee that Malaysia was completely safe from such attacks but added that the government had taken steps to prevent them and that "we know the country is safe."

"Those who are not safe are those who attack other countries and kill. If they attack and kill people, they will never be safe wherever they are," he said.

Malaysia has said a renewed US warning to its nationals against visiting Malaysia was uncalled for and unfair as it did not accurately reflect the country's security situation.

"I don't see why they have to issue this warning ," Defence Minister Najib Razak said.

"If you are talking about the possibility of terrorist attacks, there are security risks anywhere. The fact is, the security risk in Malaysia is much lower than in developed countries including in Europe and the US itself," he said.

Mahathir o­n Friday questioned the latest warning issued by the US, saying it was more dangerous to be in the US than Malaysia.

"I'd like to remind them that the attack o­n the World Trade Centre was o­n American soil, not here. So America is much more dangerous than Malaysia," Mahathir said.

Najib said Malaysia has always been prepared for a terrorist threat, even before the September 11 attacks in the US, and has arrested suspected members of militant groups.

"Following the threat of attacks by the Abu Sayyaf group in southern Philippines and Sabah, we deployed more security officers in the area," he said.

No indication

Malaysian government officials have dismissed the latest US advisory, saying there was no indication of possible attacks and giving assurances that all adequate security measures are in place.

The US advisory , an extension of a previous statement issued in November, said Washington remained concerned about possible terrorist attacks in Malaysia, especially in eastern Sabah state where members of the banned Jemaah Islamiyah group, linked to al-Qaeda, have been active.

It called o­n US citizens in Malaysia, particularly those planning to visit Sabah, to "exercise extreme caution."

It also said the threat of attacks similar to the bombings o­n Indonesia's Bali island, which killed more than 200 people last October, existed throughout Southeast Asia, pointing to the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf Islamic group as another source of danger.

Mahathir said in November the US warning disregarded Malaysia's cooperation in the anti-terror war. It has detained more than 70 suspected Islamic militants.

Malaysia was among several Southeast Asian states which bristled at a series of US travel warnings last year, upset that their portrayal as possible sites for terror attacks could damage their economies and vital tourism industries. - AFP