Chief of Defence Forces Gen Zulkifeli Mohd Zin has called on the people to be the "eyes and ears" of the security enforcement agencies and report the activities of militant groups such as Islamic State (IS).

He said community groups such as the village development and security committees and penghulus should watch out for anything out of the ordinary taking place in their areas and immediately report these to the authorities.

"The people are the most important assets who can be the eyes and ears of the government to help security enforcement agencies when they see anything strange happening.

"Please report immediately to the authorities such as the police, military and other enforcement agencies for action to be taken at once," he told reporters after a visit to the 4th Battalion Border Regiment at Pos Ibrahim Pencen in Rantau Panjang in Pasir Mas yesterday.

The threat posed by militant groups such as IS could not be taken lightly, he said, adding that these militants could enter the country through the land borders and airports in the guise of ordinary people.

Zulkifeli warned that some Malaysians abroad who had been subjected to the influence of militant groups could return to the country at any time.

He said the Malaysian Armed Forces would work closely with the Royal Malaysia Police and other enforcement agencies to monitor the situation and prevent terror attacks in the country.

"The grenade attack at an entertainment outlet in Puchong (Selangor) on June 28, which inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed was an IS terror attack, can recur if we are not alert," he said.

Zulkifeli said security along the Malaysia-Thailand border in Kelantan had been stepped up in view of Aidilfitri to prevent undesirable elements from committing crime such as smuggling.

- Bernama