KUALA LUMPUR - The Malay-speaking branch of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has sent a video warning to Malaysia. Called the Katibah Nusantara, the video threatened revenge for the arrests of its members.
Titled "Mesej Awam Kepada Malaysia" (Public Message for Malaysia), the video warned: "If you catch us, we will only increase in number but if you let us be, we will be closer to our goal of bringing back the rule of the Khalifah (caliph)."
"We will never bow down to the democratic system of governance as we will only follow Allah's rules."
Malaysian militants can clearly be seen speaking in Malay in the video, urging their compatriots to join the ISIS and its so-called jihad or holy war.
The video shows 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 fellow militant Mohd Nizam Arifin looks on.
Abdul Halid also quotes Prophet Muhammad's teachings to convince fighters in Somalia to join ISIS.
Malaysia's Special Branch Counter-Terrorism Division head, Senior Asst Comm Datuk Ayob Khan, said, "We have to be constantly on our toes and cannot afford to let our guard down," he said.
" Why would the militants speak Bahasa Malaysia if they were not calling out to their fellow countrymen?" he added.
Katibah has more than 200 fighters from Malaysia and Indonesia, who are highly sought after for "specialised missions", including serving as snipers and becoming suicide bombers.
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