LAHAD DATU - Malaysian Security Forces believe that terrorist leader Abgimuddin Kiram, who led an armed incursion by 200-odd Sulu intruders here on Feb 12, is still in the area.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said the forces are actively tracking down Abgimuddin and his remaining accomplices to make sure he does not escape from Lahad Datu.
"He is their leader. We believe he is still around with his followers," Hamza told a press conference here this morning.
He expressed confidence that any attempt by Abgimuddin to escape by sea would not work as the Malaysian naval blockade around the coast is "very tight."
The militant group comprised supporters of Sulu chieftain Jamalul Kiram III – Abgimuddin's elder brother - who has proclaimed himself as the "Sultan of Sulu" and staked an ancestral claim over Sabah. They entered Malaysian territory illegally, landing their boats filled with ammunition in Kampung Tanduo here on Feb 12.
Massive land and air strikes were launched at Kampung Tanduo on March 5 after the group refused to heed successive deadlines to surrender.
Eight Malaysian policemen have been killed in clashes with the group since March 1. Two soldiers also died on March 12 – one by enemy gunfire and another in a non-combat vehicle accident.
"The accident happened at kilometer 37 of the Lahad Datu-Tungku road around 7.30 am. Only two people were in the army truck. The passenger, aged 25, was killed and the driver, aged 35, was injured and sent to the hospital," Hamza said.
He said the case is now being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
He also commented on the unidentified teenager who was shot dead by security forces on Sunday (March 10) near Kampung Sungai Bilis.
The boy and an accompanying man were apparently hiding in some bushes when security forces had stopped and detained five other men nearby.
Security forces personnel heard noise from the bushes while checking the five men, and fired in the direction of the noise. The boy died while the man was injured.
"We have yet to identify (the teenager) as he had no document. As far as I am concerned, he and six other people were well within the targeted area (red zone)," Hamza said.
The five men were arrested under Section 130 (c) of the Penal Code, read together with the Security Offenses (Special Measure) Act 2012 (Sosma), while the injured man who was shot was sent to the hospital for treatment.
Thus far, police confirm a total of 56 terrorists killed with 24 bodies retrieved from the battle grounds, while 97 suspects have been arrested over alleged involvement with the terrorists and another 196 arrested for entering restricted areas.
Radzi Razak
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