KUALA LUMPUR, March 21: More Muslim countries could be targeted by the United States after it has finished its war against Iraq, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Friday.

“Although it’s not a war between Christians and Muslims, it is clear that Muslim countries are being targeted by the US government.

“We know that Iran is included in the (US’) ‘axis of evil’, so next could be Iran and then Syria, maybe Sudan and then Libya.

“They are all accused of having iron fist governments and the US aims to ‘free’ these countries from such iron fist governments, but the US is selective. We believe they have an ulterior motive.”

Mahathir did not expand on what he believed that motive was, but went on to accuse the US of acting as both “judge and hangman”.

“They allow assassination as a national policy and this is frightening. We don’t know who will be the next victim. If we happen to do something wrong then we could be assassinated.”

Mahathir is on two months leave, but spoke to reporters after chairing a meeting of the supreme council of his ruling United Malays National Organisation.

The government, headed in his absence by Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has strongly condemned the start of the war against Iraq, describing it as “an illegal act of aggression”.

Mahathir said that as current chairman of the 116-nation Non-Aligned Movement of developing countries, he had written on the issue to all member countries of the United Nations Security Council. —AFP