KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 – The Sulu terrorists from the Philippines who intruded into Sabah made a grave miscalculation by assuming that their home-grown brand of warfare would be successful in Malaysia, said a defence analyst.
“They were wrong in believing that the battle experience on their own turf would hold them in good stead in this country,” said the expert, who preferred to remain anonymous. They failed to take into account also the strong backing Malaysians gave their government in safeguarding national sovereignty, he said.
Another factor which they probably did not consider was the might of Malaysia’s naval power in securing the coastal waters off eastern Sabah and preventing the arrival of enemy reinforcements, he added. The analyst said Malaysia’s use of conventional war assets to decimate the guerrilla-type warfare employed by the terrorists is seen as what he called
“power projection”.
“Power projection” is described as the ability of a nation to apply all or some of its elements of national power – political, economic, informational, or military – to rapidly and effectively deploy and sustain forces in and from multiple dispersed locations to respond to crises, to contribute to deterrence, and to enhance stability.
The analyst recalled that an example of a “power projection” during peacetime was the “Halilintar” Exercise conducted in Langkawi in 1994 involving a combination of air, naval and ground forces as a rapid intervention force in the defence of the nation’s interests.
A combination of air, naval and ground forces is also being used in the “Ops Daulat” offensive launched on March 5 against the Sulu terrorists who killed two policemen in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu, on March 1 and six policemen in Kampung Simunul, Semporna, the following day.
Two soldiers have also died, one in a gun battle and the other in a road accident, while the enemy has suffered 62 dead. The terrorists, who had holed up in Kampung Tanduo since Feb 12, rejected an offer for negotiations and refused to lay down arms and surrender.
The “Ops Daulat” offensive began with F/A-18 Hornet and Hawk fighter aircraft of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) strafing the area where the terrorists were believed to be in hiding.
This was followed by the army firing several rounds of 91mm mortar and the soldiers moving in for the search and mopping-up exercise. The security forces also used 12 ACV300 or Adnan-type armoured cars with chain wheels which can move on all kinds of terrain, said Army First Division commander Maj Gen Datuk Ahmad Zaki Mokhtar.
He said these armoured cars provided an advantage to the ground assault teams because their weapons were aided by computer and an optic system for coordination of more sophisticated and stable firing and the vehicles were equipped with night vision devices. Vessels of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), meanwhile, patrolled the country’s waters off eastern Sabah to prevent entry or exit of the terrorists.
Chief of Defence Forces Gen Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin said several helicopters of the army’s aviation unit and RMN gunboats would be brought to eastern Sabah in stages. The use of all these military assets in the “Ops Daulat” offensive has sent a clear message to the enemy that Malaysia will not compromise on the question of national sovereignty. The analyst said many members of the public did not understand military operations and criticised the tactics employed by the security forces against the Sulu terrorists. The lives of the policemen and soldiers are not that cheap for them to be sent to the frontlines like lambs to the slaughter, he added.
BERNAMA
