Air ground assault launched by Malaysian army against militants reclaim part Borneo island 0703132

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Defence News - Malaysia

 
 
Thursday, March 7, 2013, 11:56 AM
 
Air, ground assault launched by Malaysian army against militants to reclaim part of Borneo island.
An air, ground assault and mortar attacks were launched by Malaysian armed forces, killed at least 13 of the nearly 200 militants seeking to reclaim part of Borneo Island for a Filipino sultan, Malaysian police officials said Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Sporadic fighting continued on Wednesday in remote coastal areas of the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah as the police and soldiers scoured rugged territory, searching house to house to find Filipino rebels who escaped the large assault on Tuesday. At least 40 people have died so far in the fighting.
     
An air, ground assault and mortar attacks were launched by Malaysian armed forces, killed at least 13 of the nearly 200 militants seeking to reclaim part of Borneo Island for a Filipino sultan, Malaysian police officials said Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Malaysia Army commandos prepare to board a helicopter to join an assault near the area where a stand-off with Filipino gunmen took place Tuesday, March 5, 2013, in Tanduo village, Lahad Datu, Sabab, Malaysia.
     

The first fighting started on Friday, March 1, 2013, that killed 12 Filipinos and two Malaysian commandoes after armed intruders representing the Philippines-based Sultan of Sulu refused to abandon what they say is their historic claim to the territory, turning a centuries-old dispute in an overlooked corner of Southeast Asia into an increasingly bloody battle for power and land.

The group, which arrived by boat about three weeks ago, say they are descendants of the sultanate of Sulu in the southern Philippines, which ruled parts of northern Borneo for centuries. They are demanding recognition and an increased payment from Malaysia for their claim as the rightful owners of Sabah.

In a sign of potential widening of the conflict, the rebel leader said that more of his fighters were planning to go to Borneo on their own to reinforce the Filipino combatants there, even though he did not support the incursion into Sabah.

To halt further incursions, Malaysian and Filipino naval ships have set up a blockade between the southern Philippines and Sabah, a distance that can be traveled by speedboat in about an hour.