SHAH ALAM: Five Abu Sayaff terrorists from the Philippines were killed by police, in Beaufort, Sabah, yesterday morning. Sabah police commissioner CP Hazani Ghazali, announced today that one of those killed were a sub-leader who was wanted in the Philippines.
The shooting occurred at 11.27am on May 17, near a squatter colony in a swampy area near Taman Sri Arjuna, Beaufort. Hazani was quoted by Bernama as saying that the sub-leader was identified as Mabar Binda. Two .45 caliber semi-automatic pistols and 20 rounds of ammo were recovered as well as three parangs.
The men were killed when they fired shots and rushed at the police raiding team said Hazani. He confirmed that the men had escaped the police when they arrested 37 Filipinos – 8 eight male adults, eight female adults and 21 children – from the same squatter colony at the location on May 8.
It is interesting to note that the location of the arrests and shooting is in the southern part of western Sabah, some distance away from the eastern coast where most of intrusions had happened. It is still likely that the Filipinos had been smuggled from other parts of Sabah. Beaufort is about an hour drive away from Kuala Penyu, the main ferry site connecting Sabah and Labuan island.
Hazani said Mabar was the brother of one of two of the eight males arrested on May 8 identified as members Abu Sayaff terror group and also wanted in the Philippines. The two are experienced fighters as they had been involved in firefights since 2017.
Hazani said the group are believed to have been at the location since November, last year. Meanwhile, Bernama also reported today that ESSCOM wants more personnel in its AOR including VAT69 and UTK operators to ensure the security situation in the areas. Its commander said a proposal was put forward to the government to have an extra PGA battalion in Lahad Datu and a troop of VAT69 and UTK operators, each in Sandakan and Semporna.
The additional unit in Lahad Datu will allow for the creation of two brigades of the PGA in Sabah – one in Kota Kinabalu and the other in Lahad Datu – each with three battalion.
— Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (10)
Dont get taken by A.Sayaf ploy...they have studied malay movements....anything triggered the malays will deploy extra extra men at the notorious area....why not instead of deploying extra men power and leaving certain areas with " hole" we should deploy reliable APC so that the small amount of troopers are well protected...able to hold the notorious zone independently and of cause with plenty of ammo and RPGs....that should do the trick....war is full of deceptions not everybody follow by the text books...be creative in war......or firefight..
Tarantula is a good candidate for real field test.
Make every existing section of GOF or PGA patrol in a tarantula,ensure every check point is men by at least 1 tarantula with big calibre on the roof top,no need additional men power...a small well equipped troopers with nite visions...tarantula....RPGs big calibre on roof top can defend themselves against a well trained rag tag militants.
From the pics seems like the gof folks already got their ACCM rifle.
It is disturbing to hear they are actually on our soil. Does it indicates Ops Benteng is starting to fail?
@RedSot
The point is not to start open warfare. By the time we need APCs, things have gone to heck ie Marawi.
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I think they were concentrating on the Eastern coast. Of course they could have landed in the Eastern coast but then were transported to Beaufort.
Yes. More boots on the ground. Not jyst from PGA n VAT69 but beef up the special branch. Form a special unit of Special Branch to learn intel.
More troops to put boots on the ground n RMN to increase sea patrols.
All roads and tracks to be exhaustively patrolled. Refurbish our old armoured vehicle for this purpose. Good for economy n great for our troops
RedSot - “trained rag tag militants.”
They are either “well trained” or “rag tag” : can’t be both....
The type of threat we face (not a full blown insurgency) does not call for RPGs .... It needs solid intel, a proper C3 and extensive patrolling both in foot and mounted. Not all the areas will be conducive for armoured vehicles (some villages have very narrow roads/alleys) and being in armoured vehicles significantly reduces SA.
Lee - “ed. Refurbish our old armoured vehicle for this purpose”
Yes you keep saying but the
V-100/50s have been scrapped and the Condors will be too. Smaller vehicles with a lighter footprint are more suitable; Like the Lipanbara.
Lee - “More troops to put boots on the ground n RMN to increase sea patrols”
Actually it’s a coordinated presence - from various agencies - under a proper chain of command backed up by sensors and unmanned patrol assets which is vital ...
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Even the Lipanbara is too big, really. The IAG Jaws in service with UTK or an armoured Hilux which could be purchased from IAG for as low as RM124,000, almost the same price of highest spec Hilux from UMW Toyota
@Marhalim
I suspect it is the latter. If they travelled to a more southernly landing spot, they risk higher chances of being found. AFAIK our country still not open a route with Pinoy so they shouldn't be any new incomings from that side unless smuggled in. The weapons captured with them indicated this is the likeliest scenario.
@Lee Yoke Meng
We have plenty of Condors that can be refurb for reuse in low threat patrols so that our boys still have some form of protection against small arms, but this won't be a significantly profitable venture (unless we pay Deftech RM6mil each refurb) and as such whom would be willing to do it at a low price unless we forced it down the few defence contractors we have.
You’re right Marhalim. Many areas have narrow tracks in which even a MRAP would find it hard to operate in.
On the ASG guys. We have to put things in perspective; from the reactions/comments of some: one gets the highly mistaken impression we’re on the brink of a full scale insurgency. In the past quite a few references were made to Marawi which is silly as the geo political/soci/economic conditions which enabled an insurgency (with the MNLF) in Mindanao in the 1970’a stretching to all the way (the NPA, MILF, BIFF. Maury, etc) to until recently; are simply not present in Sabah. In another note; we often hear how Malaya was the only place where a insurgency was successfully contained - untrue as the Philippines in the 1950’s )with U.S. assistance) defeated the Huk rebellion which at one point controlled large parts of the country.
Sabah traditionally has been a place of refuge for Filipino elements in the run in the Philippines. The ASG guys who were killed were probably keeping low avoiding detection having made it out of the Tawi-Tawi area; rather than plotting ops. It goes without saying that ASG guys, being Tausug, would only be able to blend in certain areas of Sabah.
Rag tag as the name implies they are wearing non standard camo uniform,non standard weapons,they wear sandals,shoes etc but not necessary they are not well trained looks can be deciving old fren.
Im sure the tarantula can ply on roads which are ISO standard by JKR like jln persekutuan....jln negri...but not jln tempatan which is inside kampong area n thus you have to dismount ( no choice )the lorong can be as narrow as 1.5 mtr or lesser.
To be a universal soldier we need to know types of roads that we ply on n boundries that we can cross or not.
Still i see no need for extra boots on the ground but equipped the men fully.....
RPGs are needed...we just have to blast them off if they prove to be armed and fleeing away from capture....do we need to chase them and engaged in fire fight...?
From your experience in middle east...you dont find and aim at the enemy...you just squeeze the trigger at the general direction..prove me wrong.
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You get lucky 100 per cent of the time with aimed fire
RedSot - Rag tag as the name implies they are wearing non standard”
“Tag tag” implies they are disorganised and uncoordinated; hardly the case if they are “well trained” ..
RedSot - “RPGs are needed…we just have to blast them off if they prove to be armed”
You make it sound as if we face a full blown insurgency in Sabah: we don’t .... RPGs are intended to provide a means of integral direct fire - whether in the anti personnel or anti material role. For the threat currently faced in Sabah; RPGs are simply not needed.
RedSot - “u just squeeze the trigger at the general direction..prove me wrong”
You’ll be surprised at what you can hit with well aimed controlled fire as opposed to what you suggested .... Which incidentally is why armies - since the invention of gun powder - expect their men to have some level of marksmanship; which in turn prevents ammo wastage and why incidentally optics rather than standard iron sights have become highly essential ...
RedSot - “thus you have to dismount ( no choice )the lorong can be as narrow as 1.5 mtr or lesser”
Which is exactly the point which was made in a previous post ....