IGP says no signs militants want to surrender

LAHAD DATU, March 8 — Remnants of the Sulu militants in Sabah have yet to indicate they want to surrender, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar 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 11am 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 11.15am 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 February 9 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.

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