LAHAD DATU, March 8 – Remnants of the Sulu militant intruders in Sabah have yet to indicate they want to surrender, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar(Pic) said today. He said the militants, from the southern Philippines, were holed up in Kampung Tanduo and Kampung Tanjung Batu near here.
He also said that security forces were continuing to hunt down the militants although there had been no encounter since 11 am yesterday when 31 of the militants were killed in a clash.
“After the 31 militants were killed yesterday, there has been no indication that the remnants want to lay down arms,” he told a 11.15 am news conference, attended also by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, at Felda Sahabat 16, about 130km from here.
The “Ops Daulat” offensive to flush out the militants, who had been holed up in Kampung Tanduo since Feb 12 and had killed eight policemen in the village and in Kampung Simunul, Semporna, on March 1 and 2, entered its fourth day today. So far, 52 militants had been killed.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak visited the “Ops Daulat” command base in Felda Sahabat yesterday and said the only option the militants had was to lay down arms and surrender unconditionally.
On the fourth day of “Ops Daulat” today, helicopters were used to airlift security forces personnel to locations in the operational area to conduct mopping-up and search while fighter aircraft flew over the area. Ismail said the security forces had yet to identify the body of a militant chief with the rank of general who was shot dead yesterday.
Asked whether the dead general could be the so-called Raja Muda of Sulu, Azimuddin Kiram, Ismail said: “We are trying to identify (the body) based on the attire but he was a chief of the militants.” Ismail also showed journalists photographs of the weapons found on the dead militants.
Zulkifeli, meanwhile, said the absence of clashes since yesterday morning did not indicate that the enemy was no longer in the area.
BERNAMA
