No landings in KK and Tawau

Stop spreading rumours, says Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar.

PETALING JAYA: Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar today squashed speculation that 700 armed Sulu intruders have landed in Kota Kinabalu and Tawau respectively.

“It is informed that there was a SMS and postings in the social media on March 6 that 700 people had entered Kota Kinabalu and 700 more in Tawau to start unrest and disrupt public peace.

“In the document which is being spread, the police are asked to be on the alert and increase security. I urge the public to stop spreading this rumour because the security in Sabah is under control,” he said in a statement posted on the police facebook.

Yesterday, Ismail announced that security forces undertaking an offensive against armed intruders in the Sabah east coast killed 32 militants in clashes at ground zero in Tanjung Batu, Lahad Datu, raising to 52 the number of militants killed since last Friday.

The police also believed that a militant leader with the rank of general was one of the 32 gunmen killed in one of the clashes, at 11.30am, yesterday.

Security forces widened the area of their operation yesterday to flush out the remnants of the militants believed to be holed up in Kampung Tanduo and Kampung Tanjung Batu.

The death toll of 52 included the militants killed in skirmishes with the police in Kampung Tanduo and Kampung Tanjung Batu as well as Kampung Simunul in Semporna over the past few days.

Ismail said the operation, codenamed “Ops Daulat”, is continuing at Kampung Tanduo and Kampung Tanjung Batu, Labian.

“As of yesterday evening to now, security forces are pushing forward to certain areas. We advise the public not to enter these areas.

“I am satisfied and thank the people for cooperating with the security forces,” he added.

Body of slain ‘general’ not Agbimuddin
Ismail also said that the whereabouts of Agbimuddin Kiram, the leader of the intruders and brother of self-styled Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, are still unknown.

Ismail said the Sulu general who security forces killed yesterday was not Agbimuddin.

“It’s not (Agbimuddin Kiram),” he said.

He was clarifying the identity of the body security forces had found while conducting a mop-up operation here to locate the remaining of some 200 or so invaders who had occupied Kg Tanduo.

The man was earlier identified as a “Sulu general” who, along with 30 others, had been killed by Malaysian security forces on Wednesday night in Tanjung Batu.

Ismail said that security forces had concluded the man was one of their leaders based on his attire, but is still in the process of verifying his exact identity.

Meanwhile in LAHAD DATU, remnants of the Sulu militant intruders have yet to indicate they want to surrender, Ismail said today, according to Bernama report.

He also said that security forces were continuing to hunt down the militants although there had been no encounter since 11 am yesterday when the 32 militants were killed in a clash.

“After the 32 militants were killed yesterday, there has been no indication that the remnants want to lay down arms,” he told a 11.15am news conference, attended also by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, at Felda Sahabat 16, about 130km from here.

The “Ops Daulat” offensive to flush out the militants entered its fourth day today. So far, 52 militants had been killed.

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 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.