Dr M: Don’t underestimate guerillas

Dr Mahathir says the only reason the government had “acted cautiously” in the beginning was because the intruders were Muslims.

BAGAN SERAI:  Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has warned the Malaysian security forces to be prepared for retaliations from the remnant members of the Filipino armed militant group and their sympathisers.

He said the Malaysian securities forces cannot be lulled into thinking that the situation was under control especially after the militant group is decimated and got rid off.

“We cannot underestimate them, even though at first we thought their attempt to capture Sabah a futile act. But  they can become guerrillas and launch sporadic attacks in future,” he said.

As such he added that the Royal Malaysian Navy needed to tighten its surveillance on Sabah waters and check on boats from Tawi-Tawi and Jolo islands that could be smuggling in intruders or arms.

Earlier today, Malaysian Army General Zulkifli Zanal Abidin said the armed intruders appeared adept in insurgency and had combat experience.

“From our intelligence and observation, their insurgency guerilla tactics are quite good, I would say,” he said.

Also earlier today Inspector General of Police Ismail Omar said that his men had been lured into an ambush in Semporna by decoys which had left six policemen including an officer dead.

The death toll has climbed to 26 since Friday’s clash in Lahad Datu. Eight policemen have been killed in the line of duty in Lahad Datu and Semporna.

Last Friday’s shootout also saw 12 gunmen loyal to the 74 year old Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III killed. The group had ‘invaded’ Lahad Datu on Feb 12 to stake a claim on Sabah.

In the initial stages the army were merely observers but earlier today Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had directed them to step and do whatever is necessary.

‘They were Muslims’
When asked about the government’s initial decision to leave the matter to the police, Mahathir said: “External threats are handled by the armed forces while internal threats are dealt with by the police.

“At first we did not think the intrusion was as an external threat for they were on our shore.

“But now that it is clear that the invasion is an attack from outside, the military was ordered to move in.”

Mahathir said the only reason the government had “acted cautiously” in the beginning was because the intruders were Muslims.

“We did not want to be hasty. We did not want to kill them because they also have families and friends in Sabah. (And) afterall they are Muslims and we are Muslims. That’s why we acted cautiously at first.

“But they have now acted in bad faith. They have gunned down our policemen.

“Now, the stalemate can no longer be resolved through negotiation,” he said.

Mahathir said the new dynamics had made counter-actions inevitable.

“There is now no way out but to launch a counter-attack to eliminate the Sulu group.

“Although many of them will be killed, this cannot be avoided because they attacked Sabah, and it’s not the other way round,” he told reporters after addressing a gathering by the Perkasa’s Perak branch here today.

Meanwhile a spokesman for Sultan Sulu said that its forces on Sabah had taken hostage a Malaysian police officer, two soldiers and a government official.

“We advised the people on the ground to take care of them, to feed them, so that in case there shall be international agencies to investigate the matter we can present those four captured government officials of Malaysia as witnesses to the atrocities committed by the government of Malaysia,” the group’s spokesman, Abraham Idjirani, said Sunday.