Offensive of Malaysian armed forces against a group of armed soldiers from the Philippines 0503132.

The group of Filipino men, believed to number between 100 and 300, arrived three weeks ago on the east coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah, on Borneo, demanding to be recognized as representatives of a sultanate that used to rule the area.

Malaysian authorities initially tried to persuade the men to return peacefully to their homes in the nearby southern Philippines. But the intruders refused to budge, and the standoff turned violent in recent days as clashes in the region reportedly left nine Malaysian police officers and 19 intruders dead.

"Our security forces were attacked and killed. Malaysians, particularly those in Sabah, are worried about their safety," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement carried by the national news agency Bernama announcing the offensive Tuesday.

The Malaysian operation Tuesday morning in Lahad Datu, the district in Sabah where the Filipino men had come ashore, involved an air raid by F-18 and Hawk fighter jets followed by mortar fire and a ground assault by soldiers, Bernama reported.

No members of the Malaysian forces were hurt in the attack, and the casualties on the Filipino side had yet to be determined, he said.

But representatives of the Filipino group didn't report any initial losses from the offensive, saying the Malaysian jets had dropped bombs at a location they had occupied previously.