KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11— Hundreds of Malaysians have left the country to join the on-going sectarian war in Syria and more are expected to follow suit, a local jihadist has alleged.

Calling himself “Salman Rahim”, the jihadist told the News Sunday Times in a series of interviews through Facebook that Malaysian fighters engaged in combat there have also given up hope of ever coming home and are willing to die fighting for the cause.

“More and more are also keen to join us in Syria. Personally, I believe that among the factors contributing to this is the realisation of what is happening to our oppressed Muslim brothers and sisters in Syria,” he was quoted by NST as saying.

“As it is, there are hundreds of Malaysians in Syria and Iraq and I am confident that the number will grow,” Salman added.

He said that Malaysian fighters in Syria and Iraq were not only with the Islamic State (IS), but were also allied with other jihadist groups.

Salman, who was former head of the communications team for Malaysian fighters in Syria and Iraq, insisted that he is not a terrorist or militant and is only standing up for fellow Muslims.

“I swear in God’s name that my struggle is nothing more than to defend Islam to the best of my abilities.”

Malaysian authorities are becoming increasingly concerned about the growing participation of locals in jihadist movements abroad as well as the potential risks when these fighters return.

In a 19-page White Paper document entitled “Addressing the threat of Islamic State” tabled in Parliament last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak outlined the history of IS, the threat the group poses and the impact it has on Malaysians as well as the danger in allowing its skewed Islamic teachings and practice of violence to spread in Malaysia.

According to the White Paper sighted by Malay Mail Online, of the 39 Malaysians there, 17 were involved in IS while 22 joined Ajnad al-Sham.

Putrajaya has also proposed a new law to combat the rise of influence of terrorist groups such as the IS as militant groups continue to gain ground globally and dozens of Malaysians leave to join the fight.

The law, which proponents have tentatively dubbed the Prevention of Terrorism Act, will be tabled in March and is expected to empower authorities to “pre-emptively” detain individuals suspected of terrorism.