Kiram’s men clash with KL cops, soldiers bit.ly/17oeTxZ By Ferdinand Fabella | Posted on Aug. 12, 2013 AT LEAST eight Malaysian policemen and soldiers were killed by the followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III in Sabah as fighting broke out again in the disputed territory on Friday, the last day of Ramadan, Kiram’s spokesman said Sunday. Abraham Idjirani said 50 members of the Sulu Sultanate’s Royal Security Forces ambushed a 200-man Malaysian patrol in Felda Sahabat in Lahad Datu, near the area where Kiram’s brother, Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, was holed out. “They took it upon themselves to ambush the Malaysian patrol to protect Raja Muda, but they had to disengage quickly because they were outnumbered,” Idjirani said of the RSF unit that engaged the Malaysians. Idjirani said the encounter, the third since June 16 and 18 in Labbiyaw and Dangan Tungko in Sabah, was reported to the sultanate by Agbimuddin some two hours after the ambush. Agbimuddin commands the 1,600-strong RSF that remained in Sabah after the military offensive ordered by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in March. “Raja Muda called up to report the encounter and he said he is safe and unhurt,” Idjirani said. Kuala Lumpur claims it has wiped out the armed followers of Kiram who intruded into Sabah in February to revive the sultanate’s territorial claim over the resource-rich region, which Malaysia regards as its 13th state. Idjirani said the RSF remained in a defensive posture but justified the alleged clash, pointing out that the RSF unit serving as the perimeter defense patrol had no other recourse but to engage the Malaysian security forces. The unit was led by the RSF’s top officer Utuh Ubie. Before the clash, Idjirani said, the RSF unit in Sabah had received reports that the Malaysian military would move against them. “They saw the large Malaysian military formation, so they decided to attack,” Idjirani said. [Bansang Maharlika]
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 08:33:18 +0000
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