F/A-18 and Hawk fighters in Kg Tanduo aerial attack

Security forces launched an offensive against the armed intruders in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu, in Sabah at 7am today, starting with an aerial attack as three explosions were heard in the direction of the coastal village.

F/A-18 and Hawk fighter aircraft were used in the aerial attack, which was followed by the firing of mortar and a ground assault by the army.

The team of commandos at the frontline cordoning off the area were seen approaching the village, followed by members of the General Operations Force.

Bernama reporters staying at the Felda Residence Sahabat Hotel in Felda Sahabat 16, about 20km  from Kampung Tanduo, reported that the third explosion was so huge that it caused the hotel's windows to vibrate strongly.

Two Nuri helicopters were seen flying by.

The residents of Kampung Labian and Kampung Batu, close to Kampung Tanduo, were evacuated last night.

The armed intruders, from the self-proclaimed Sulu sultanate in the southern Philippines, had holed up in Kampung Tanduo since Feb 9.

They attacked and killed two police officers and injured three others in the village on March 1. The following day, they attacked and killed six police officers in Kampung Simunul in Semporna, about 150km away.

Eighteen of the intruders were also killed in the skirmishes with the police.

Negotiations failed

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said in a statement this morning that the government had to take appropriate action in the defence of the nation's sovereignty and honour, as demanded by Malaysians, after measures to avert bloodshed failed.

"Our security forces were attacked and killed. Malaysians, particularly those in Sabah, are worried about their safety," Najib said.

He said the armed intruders from the southern Philippines, who claimed to be from the so-called Sulu army, fired at police officers on duty in Lahad Datu last Friday, killing two of them, and then killed six more officers in Semporna on the following day.

"After the first attack, I stressed that the intruders must surrender themselves or the security authorities will have to act," he said.

Najib said that following the armed intrusion in Lahad Datu three weeks ago, the government adopted the approach of resolving the issue without bloodshed.

"The police held meetings and negotiations in the hope that the intruders would agree to leave peacefully without the need to take any serious legal action," he said.

Najib said that Malaysia, as a peace-loving Islamic nation, wanted to resolve the issue through negotiation but the attempt to avert bloodshed in Lahad Datu failed.

"As the issue of the intrusion prolonged, it was evident to the authorities that the intruders had no intention of withdrawing from Sabah," he said.

- Bernama