Cops trying to bring back 51 M'sians who left to join IS in Syria

Police are trying to bring back 51 Malaysians who have left the country to join the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, according to Bukit Aman's Special Branch Counter Terrorism (E8) director Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.

This comes as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began assaulting Baghouz, the final enclave of IS, where thousands of fighters and their families, including foreigners, have surrendered.

Of the 23 people whom police have identified, 11 are adults and 12 are children, said Ayob.

"They contacted their family and their family contacted us. We are trying to bring them back.

"For the men, we will certainly arrest them for questioning while for the women and children we will look at it on a case-by-case basis.

"Some of the women were forced by their husband to go to Syria," he told a press conference after a national unity event in Kuala Lumpur today.

Some Muslims had heeded the IS call to go live under its self-declared caliphate, which at one time covered large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.

However, the "caliphate" appears to be disintegrating as the Syrian and Iraqi governments retook control of their territories while the SDF attacked areas not controlled by the Syrian government. They have also received backing from international governments.

Ayob assured that these individuals will be carefully monitored.

"Our expert counsellors and religious scholars will evaluate them and if we are satisfied that they were not involved, we will release them but (they will be) under observation," he said.

According to Al Jazeera, at least 102 Malaysians had left the country to join IS. Forty of them have since been killed, nine of whom were suicide bombers.

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