The Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (Isis) unit in Malaysia and Indonesia has threatened revenge over the capture of its members, The Star Online reported today. The English daily reported that the Malay-speaking wing of Isis, “Katibah Nusantara”, had posted a video in Bahasa Malaysia warning the authorities that its numbers would only increase with the arrests of its members. In the video titled “Mesej Awam Kepada Malaysia” (Public Message for Malaysia), the wing warned that it would not submit to the democratic system, only to the laws of Allah.
“… if you let us be, we will be closer to our goal of bringing back the rule of the Khalifah (caliph). “Those who brand us as khawarij (dissenters), Daesh (another name for Isis) and even as Mossad agents are in fact Shiah and its allies. “We will never bow down to the democratic system of governance as we will only follow Allah’s rules,” the Katibah reportedly said. The Star Online reported that in another video in Bahasa Malaysia, the wing also called on its “brothers” from the Somalian group Al-Shabaab to join Isis in the “real front line in Syria” and its “jihad”. The video showed Katibah member Abdul Halid Dari urging them to pledge their allegiance to Isis leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and join the “real” fight in Syria as another militant, Mohd Nizam Arifin, looked on. Abdul Halid also quoted Prophet Muhammad’s teachings to convince Somalian fighters to join Isis. Both videos were reportedly posted on an Isis-sanctioned website, signifying Katibah’s increasing recognition within the terror group. The Star Online quoted Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division head Senior Assistant Commissioner Datuk Ayob Khan as saying the police had seen videos posted on Facebook and other social media sites, but this particular video was a clear indication that Katibah was among the major foreign factions in Isis. He also said the video to the Somalians had Arabic subtitles but because Abdul Halid spoke in Malay, it was suspected that there were Malaysians in Al-Shabaab. “This is certainly a new development resulting in more involvement of Malaysians in terror groups,” he said, adding that it was the first clear indication that there were Malaysians or at least Malay-speaking militants in Al-Shabaab. “It is certainly alarming if true. Why would the militants speak Bahasa Malaysia if they were not calling out to their fellow countrymen?” Ayob also said the threat and direct challenge to the government reflected Katibah’s brazen stance. “It further proves that Isis, especially the Katibah group, views our country as secular, and as such makes the government and the people as its targets. “This is no doubt in retaliation against our security forces’ actions against them,” he reportedly said. He said the counterterrorism division would be more vigilant as attacks could occur at any time, adding that reliable intelligence was the key to preventing attacks in the country. “We have to be constantly on our toes and cannot afford to let our guard down,” he said. The Star Online reported that it was believed Katibah had more than 200 Malaysian and Indonesian fighters who were highly sought after for “specialised missions”, including as snipers and suicide bombers. According to Indonesian police, Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian Katibah fighter, was behind the recent bomb blasts and gun attacks in Jakarta. Katibah first came under the radar of intelligence agencies two years ago when it was called “Majmu’ah al Arkhabiliy”. (The Malaysian Insider)
Link: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/isis-wing-katibah-warns-of-revenge-after-arrest-of-members
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