However, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the home minister, said the ministry would scrutinise the identities of the men before making further statements.
“I have discussed with the (Malaysian) Inspector-General of Police (Khalid Abu Bakar) and we are scrutinising the details although we have identified the duo and where they were from.
“Bukit Aman (federal police) will issue the intelligence information,” he told reporters after attending the opening ceremony of the Salmah Khamis mosque in Kampung Durian Daun, Masjid Tanah here today.
He said this when commenting on an English daily news report today on the two Malaysians believed to be among 13 suspected militants killed in battle with the Philippine military.
The battle reportedly broke out on Tuesday when the Philippine authorities stormed the streets of Marawi to look for Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and the local terrorist group known as Maute, which pledges allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group of militants.
Meanwhile, Zahid thanked the Philippine authorities for cooperating and sharing information on the security issues involving the three countries, including Malaysia and Indonesia.
He said the Malaysian authorities would also monitor security aspects of the country via the Counter-Messaging Centre handled by the Anti-Terrorism Unit to identify intelligence information and track down the militants based on the information.
“We will also share the information with the Philippines and Indonesia… action will be based on the information,” he added.
In another development, he said the ministry had instructed Khalid, the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) and Sabah police to be prepared and beef up security along the national territorial waters to ensure the safety of Malaysians, which would remain a top priority.
In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) chief Gen Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor said MAF had stepped up security along national borders to prevent infiltration of armed groups into the country following the battle in the Philippines.
“We are wary of some (of the militants) who might escape (from the Philippines) and infiltrate the country (Malaysia). Hence, the beefed up security in Sabah,” he told reporters after launching the Ihya Ramadan Fund at the Khalid Al-Walid mosque here today.