Sulu ‘Sultan’ says ‘royal army’ incommunicado

Jamalul said it was becoming harder to reach his now-scattered band of fighters. — Reuters picKUALA LUMPUR, March 7 ― Filipino militant leader Agbimuddin Kiram has not called home in 24 hours, his brother and self-styled Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III said this morning, even as Malaysian fighter jets again roared over Sabah in search of the Sulu rebels.

Philippine TV network ABN-CBS News Channel said in its morning news broadcast that the beleaguered Kiram clan was increasingly worried over the safety of their “royal army” in Lahad Datu, where Malaysia’s security forces are swarming over, by foot and by air, in an operation to flush out the militant group.

“According to Sultan Jamalul Kiram, until now, he is yet to get updates from Datuk Raja Muda Kiram who is in Sabah.

“The Sultan said it is more difficult to communicate with the royal security forces now that they are scattered,” network reporter Jerome Lantin said in the 8am broadcast.

The reporter said that in the latest update to the Kiram family, who reside in Taguig City, Philippines, an estimated 40 soldiers from their “royal army” have already fallen since gunfire broke out last weekend.

Malaysia’s Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi released photographs to the media yesterday, showing some of the corpses of the 13 militants that the Malaysian security forces have killed.

At 4.15pm, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said the number of Sulu casualties had risen as search operations spread from Kampung Tanduo to Kampung Tanjung Batu, where the Sulu gunmen were believed to be hiding.

“We believe there were some enemies who fell, but we can’t verify the number at this time,” he told an evening press conference Lahad Datu.

Agbimuddin and a band of over 200 Filipino militants landed in Sabah’s Lahad Datu on February 9 to stake their claim over the northern Borneo territory, citing historical records showing that the east Malaysian state had been granted to the Sulu Sultanate by the Brunei Sultan in the 17th century.

Attempts at peaceful negotiations between the gunmen and Putrajaya failed, and despite pleas from the Philippine government to return home to settle the dispute, the men stayed put, even saying they were ready to fight to the death.

Gunfire first broke last Friday as Malaysia’s security forces moved in on the armed rebels and several skirmishes over the weekend saw 20 militants dead and eight Malaysian police personnel.

On Tuesday, Malaysia launched an all-out assault on the stubborn Sulu army, this time deploying F-18 and Hawk fighter jets to drop bombs over Kampung Tanduo, before five battalions of solders spread out over the village to conduct door-to-door searches for the armed men.

The village is home to Felda Sahabat’s 57 oil palm plantations, which are spread across hilly terrain that is estimated to be twice the size of Singapore, separated by narrow, straight roads that are occasionally crossed by egrets.

But despite the assault, Jamalul was reported as saying that he heard from his brother on Wednesday morning, a day after the attacks, and the Sulu crown prince was unharmed.

“They are doing OK. He said they are able to eat well though they are being pursued. What can they do but to fight back?

“Bombs were dropped on them but with God’s mercy, the bombs did not explode on them but on the Malaysian side,” Jamalul was quoted in The Philippine Daily Inquirer as saying.

Earlier reports said that the Malaysian air force had dropped the bombs 1km off-target and the Kiram soldiers had merely stood by watching the fighter jets pound heavy artillery fire on an empty piece of land in Kampung Tanduo where they had earlier occupied.

They reportedly said on Tuesday evening that they were yet to be defeated as all their men were still alive and accounted for, but were anticipating ground attacks soon.