KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA February 24, 2026 — Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay today revealed the full details of a daring special operation conducted by the E8 Counter Terrorism Division of the Special Branch in September–October 2018, which successfully rescued a Malaysian woman together with her two children who were trapped in Idlib, Syria.
In his post, Tan Sri Ayob — who was then Assistant Director of E8 Counter Terrorism Bukit Aman — recounted how the operation began in early September 2018 after intelligence was received about Aisyah (not her real name), the wife of a Malaysian Daesh member killed in combat around Idlib.
After her husband’s death, Aisyah and her two children lived in constant fear, extreme hardship, and had to move repeatedly while trapped in the intense war zone.
“After operations officer Reno successfully contacted Aisyah, I chaired a coordination meeting involving ACP Simon Kwan, Supt Mohd Raby and other operations officers to plan this special rescue operation,” said Tan Sri Ayob.
Following a thorough risk assessment, the E8 Division established close cooperation with Turkish law enforcement agencies to facilitate the mission. Three E8 officers were selected: Reno, Rafael and Pinky (a female officer).
On 27 September 2018, Reno contacted Aisyah and guided her to leave Idlib and head to the southern Bab Al Hawa border crossing between Syria and Turkey, 70 kilometres away.
Without any identification documents — their passports had been seized by Daesh — Aisyah had to hire an informal “sweep car” driver willing to take the enormous risk. The journey took several hours over damaged roads in the war zone, with the constant danger that the driver could be a disguised Daesh member, which could result in execution for attempting to flee without permission.
On 29 September 2018, Aisyah and her two children reached the southern Turkey-Syria border and immediately contacted Pinky. The situation at the border was extremely high-risk — the crossing and surrounding areas were controlled by Syrian rebel groups, with active human trafficking and drug syndicates operating nearby.
The operations team acted immediately by alerting Turkish security forces, who successfully located and rescued Aisyah and her children within minutes.
With assistance from the Malaysian Embassy in Ankara, Emergency Certificates were promptly issued for Aisyah and her children. On 5 October 2018, they were escorted by the operations team and safely repatriated to Malaysia, arriving on 6 October 2018.
Upon arrival, Aisyah and her children were taken to Bukit Aman for an emotional reunion with their family after years of separation.
Aisyah later underwent deradicalisation programmes and psychological rehabilitation to address war trauma, managed by the E8 Counter Terrorism Division.
“This special operation was a major success for the E8 Counter Terrorism Division, safely bringing home three Malaysian citizens trapped in Syria. The mission proceeded smoothly thanks to strong collaboration between the E8 Counter Terrorism Division Special Branch, Turkish security forces, and the Malaysian Embassy in Ankara,” said Tan Sri Ayob.
The success underscores the Royal Malaysia Police’s unwavering commitment to protecting Malaysians caught in conflict zones and facing international terrorism threats.
This article is prepared based on the complete statement posted today by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police.
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