Malaysian troops attack armed group in Borneo
The Malaysian embassy faces protests in Manila as Malaysian troops,
aided by fighter jets and tanks, attack an armed Filipino armed group in
Sabah.
Selasa, 5 Mac 2013
IGP: Security forces on careful hunt for enemies
Security forces have mounted a "careful hunt for enemies" following this morning's military assault on Kampung Tanduo in Lahad Datu, Sabah, said Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar.
"The mopping-up and search operations cover an area of 4 sq km and I believe there are still enemies in the operations area," he told a press conference at Sahabat Felda Residence, Lahad Datu this evening.
"I have instructed the commanders on the ground to be very careful as I do not want to see any casualties. Therefore it is progressing slowly, on top of the terrain challenges."
Ismail said he is still not able to confirm the number of casualties.
He denied allegations reported in the Philippine media that bodies of the intruders had been desecrated.
"How can anyone make such an allegation without verifying the facts?" he said.
Asked whether any intruders could have escaped the operations zone, he replied: "Of course we hope they have not escaped, but the enemies could still be in the operations zone, so we are moving slowly."
It's now 'Ops Daulat'
The police chief only took one question from journalists before ending the press conference.
Malaysian security forces began the assault at 7am with an aerial assault using three F18 fighter jets, before ground troops moved in.
It is unclear if the operations covered neighbouring Tanjung Batu which locals had claimed the intruders had taken over and are allegedly holding villagers hostage.
The operation has been renamed 'Ops Daulat' (Operation Sovereignty) from 'Ops Sulu', which had been used for more than three weeks of the stand-off between security forces and the self-styled Royal Sulu Army from the defunct Sulu sultanate.
IGP
10,000 more Suluks have joined battle for Sabah, MNLF official claims
KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 – Thousands of Tausug, also known as the Suluks, have sailed to Sabah to help their fellow Filipino militants in eastern Sabah who have reportedly gone into hiding following the heavy assault by Malaysian forces since morning, The Philippine Inquirer reported today.
The claim, made by Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Islamic council committee chairman Habib Hashim Mudjahab, contradicts reports elsewhere that security forces in both Malaysia and Philippines have blocked off entry points into the beleaguered Lahad Datu township, where the militants are holed up.
“We can no longer prevent our people. We are hurt and many of our people, even the non-combatants, are going to Sabah to help the sultanate,” Mudjahab was quoted as saying in the report.
But the Inquirer also reported denials of any such reinforcements being sent into Sabah from Lt. Gen, Rey Ardo, chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command, and acting Governor Mujib Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Both men said they are not aware of any reinforcements sent to aid the self-proclaimed royal army of the Sulu Sultanate.
According to Mudjahab, however, at least 10,000 Tausugs from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga had left Philippine waters from last night in small batches, entering Sabah through what they call the “southern backdoor” – a route that regular traders are familiar with.
The MNLF official said the naval blockade was of no use as those who know the route well would be able to slip into the east Malaysian state easily, and without raising any suspicion.
“It is about pride and honor, and our people are ready to sacrifice,” he added.
Earlier today, the MNLF chief Nur Misuari denied at a press conference any involvement in the Sulu standoff in Sabah, which is still raging on as Malaysian forces scour the length and breadth of Lahad Datu in search of the gunmen.
The claim, made by Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Islamic council committee chairman Habib Hashim Mudjahab, contradicts reports elsewhere that security forces in both Malaysia and Philippines have blocked off entry points into the beleaguered Lahad Datu township, where the militants are holed up.
“We can no longer prevent our people. We are hurt and many of our people, even the non-combatants, are going to Sabah to help the sultanate,” Mudjahab was quoted as saying in the report.
But the Inquirer also reported denials of any such reinforcements being sent into Sabah from Lt. Gen, Rey Ardo, chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command, and acting Governor Mujib Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Both men said they are not aware of any reinforcements sent to aid the self-proclaimed royal army of the Sulu Sultanate.
According to Mudjahab, however, at least 10,000 Tausugs from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga had left Philippine waters from last night in small batches, entering Sabah through what they call the “southern backdoor” – a route that regular traders are familiar with.
The MNLF official said the naval blockade was of no use as those who know the route well would be able to slip into the east Malaysian state easily, and without raising any suspicion.
“It is about pride and honor, and our people are ready to sacrifice,” he added.
Earlier today, the MNLF chief Nur Misuari denied at a press conference any involvement in the Sulu standoff in Sabah, which is still raging on as Malaysian forces scour the length and breadth of Lahad Datu in search of the gunmen.
Malaysia unleashes military on Filipino invaders
Malaysia's military Tuesday launched a fierce assault including jet fighters on up to 300 Filipino intruders after a deadly three-week standoff, as their leader vowed they would fight to the death.
However, Malaysia's national police chief said more than nine hours after the attack began that "mopping up" operations had yet to find any dead militants, and expressed fears that at least some of them might have slipped away.
Prime Minister Najib Razak said he had no choice but to unleash the military to try to end Malaysia's biggest security crisis in years after the interlopers refused to surrender and 27 people were killed.
A day after the Philippines called for restraint, Malaysia launched a dawn assault on the estimated 100-300 gunmen, who invaded to claim Malaysian territory on behalf of a former Philippine sultanate.
Fighter jets bombed the standoff village of Tanduo in Sabah state on the northern tip of Borneo island, followed by a ground assault by troops. The area is set amid vast oil-palm plantations.
"The longer this invasion lasts, it is clear to the authorities that the invaders do not intend to leave Sabah," Najib said.
Federal police chief Ismail Omar told reporters in an afternoon press conference near the standoff site that soldiers were mopping up across a wide area of hilly plantation country but had yet to find any dead militants.
"I have instructed my commanders to be on alert because we believe the enemies are still out there," Ismail said.
"We of course hope that they have not escaped," he said, providing few other details. However, he said Malaysian forces had suffered no casualties.
The Islamic intruders' apparent willingness to risk death over a long-dormant territorial dispute has shocked Muslim-majority Malaysia.
Jamalul Kiram III, 74, their self-proclaimed sultan, said Tuesday in Manila that incursion commanders, including his younger brother "and the many patriots who landed voluntarily will fight to the last man protecting their ideals and aspirations".
The group had been holed up in the village since landing by boat last month, highlighting lax Malaysian security and the continuing threat from southern Philippine Islamists.
Witnesses said fighter jets roared overhead early on Tuesday, followed by the thud of loud explosions.
Amid the assault, an AFP reporter at a roadblock 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Tanduo saw military transport helicopters flying toward the village, as army trucks with dozens of soldiers and several ambulances sped toward the scene.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino's spokesman blamed the intruders for the assault.
"We've done everything we could to prevent this, but in the end, Kiram's people chose this path," said the spokesman, Ricky Carandang.
After a lengthy standoff, violence erupted in Tanduo on Friday with a shootout that left 12 of the gunmen and two police officers dead.
Another gunbattle Saturday in the town of Semporna, hours away by road, killed six police and six gunmen, raising fears of a wider guerrilla infiltration.
Another gunman was reportedly beaten to death by Semporna residents.
Even if the Tanduo operation succeeds, the drama may not end there.
Police said at the weekend they were hunting for a group of "foreign" gunmen in yet another town, but have provided no further updates.
Followers of Kiram, the self-proclaimed heir to the sultanate of Sulu, have warned that more militants were poised to land in Sabah.
The sultanate, based in the southern Philippines' Sulu islands, once controlled parts of Borneo including Sabah.
Its power faded about a century ago but its heirs have continued to insist on ownership of resource-rich Sabah and still receive nominal Malaysian payments under a leasing deal originally struck by Western colonial powers.
The exact identities of the gunmen and their numbers have remained a mystery. Malaysia's opposition has criticised authorities for providing inadequate information on the mayhem and being caught flat-footed by the invaders.
Sabah has seen small raids by Islamic militants and criminals coming by boat from the Philippines before, but nothing on the current scale.
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