KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 — Five months after joining the war in Syria, 19-year-old Malaysian Hidayat Azman says he misses his mother and his country.

In a February 28 Facebook posting, Hidayat said he went to Syria last year with his mother’s blessings and now misses her terribly.

“Bismillah….I miss you mum...love you forever.. I’m never forget you (sic).

“Jazakillahukoiron for permitting your son to go for jihad...this world will not last forever and will go to waste, Allah will unite us in the afterlife,” Hidayat, also known as Abu Islam said in the posting.

He had also posted a picture of himself alone in Syria.  

Hidayat had just turned 19 three weeks ago, according to his Facebook page.

The teen is believed to have attended a sekolah pondok  — an Islamic religious school usually housed in makeshift huts in rural areas—in Penang before briefly continuing his studies in Egypt.

Hidayat, who also said he missed home after being in Syria for five months, added that he was aware local police were monitoring Malaysian militants’ activities abroad based on their Facebook postings.

Bukit Aman special branch counter terrorism division principal assistant director, Senior Assistant Commissioner Ayob Khan Mydin told The Star daily recently that although some militants may display a softer side, they are still very dangerous and have the potential to be suicide bombers.

“Those who come across potential militants via social media should alert us so that we can stop them before they make the fatal mistake of joining any militant group.

“We can counsel them and stop them from going overseas to do so. But once they have entered the world of the militants, it is too late to help them,” he was quoted saying.

Yesterday, the police nabbed three Malaysians believed to be involved in terrorist group Islamic State’s (IS) activities.

According to Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, the trio includes a civil servant, who is believed to be a senior member of the Syria-based militant movement.

Khalid said it is believed the civil servant had plans to go to Syria to join IS.

All three will be investigated for allegedly committing offences under the Penal Code’s Chapter VI A, which governs “Offences relating to Terrorism”. They will be probed using procedures under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.

According to Khalid, the operations by the police’s counter terrorism division’s special branch that resulted in the trio’s arrest was carried out in the three areas of Johor, Perak and Kuala Lumpur between February 28 and March 2.

On February 6, Khalid told reporters that the police had arrested 74 Malaysians over suspected links to militant groups.