Malaysia's armed forces will boost joint military operations with Thailand to prevent terrorists from operating in their common border areas, media reports said today.

More frequent and efficient patrols would be launched at the border beginning next year, Malaysian armed forces chief General Mohamad Zahidi Zainuddin was quoted as saying by the Malay-language Berita Harian .

Cooperation with Thailand was important as exchange of information could lead to the tracking down of wanted militants, he said.

The success in arresting alleged terrorists, such as the recent capture of Hambali showed the importance of information and intelligence exchange, Zahidi said.

CIA agents

Suspected terror mastermind Hambali, an Indonesian also known as Riduan Isamuddin, was arrested on Aug 11 in Thailand by Thai police with the assistance of agents from the US Central Intelligence Agency.

Malaysia has said it played a role in the his capture, attributing his arrest to exchanges of intelligence with neighbouring countries.

Hambali is the alleged operations chief of al-Qaeda-linked terror network Jemaah Islamiyah, which has been blamed for the Bali bombings, a blast at a Jakarta hotel last month and a string of other attacks in Southeast Asia. - AFP