Philippine 'sultan' says his gunmen will 'fight to last man'
Play
A self-proclaimed Philippine sultan said yesterday his gunmen would "fight to the last man" as Malaysia mounted an armed operation to end a deadly three weeks-old stand-off in Sabah on Borneo island.
“The crown prince, the royal security forces, and the many patriots who landed [in Sabah] voluntarily will fight to the last man protecting their ideals and aspirations,” their leader Jamalul Kiram III said in Manila.
Meanwhile Kiram III’s spokesman said the air strike launched by Malaysian fighter jets in Lahad Datu yesterday missed the forces of Azzimudie Kiram.
Abraham Idjirani said Kiram called him about 7.30am and then again at 9.30am and reported that forces of the Malaysian military and police commandos attacked a position that the armed group had previously occupied.
Idjirani also said Kiram reported that the fighter jets started circling Lahad Datu on Monday night, the Philippine website PhilSTAR.com reported.
“[He told] us that the Malaysian forces and the police commandos, about seven battalions, attacked the place suspected of being Kiram’s camp,” he said.
Idjirani said the Malaysian jets bombed a position previously held by the forces of Kiram but has now been occupied by Malaysian forces.
Idjirani said the incident could have been a case of “friendly fire”.
He said Kiram and his men are safe and are holed up in a place far from the air strikes.
As tension remains high in Lahad Datu, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F del Rosario met with Malaysian government officials in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to discuss a peaceful resolution on the issue.
A statement from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said Del Rosario met with Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman and Defence Minister Ahmad Zamid Hamidi at midnight.
Also present during the meeting were Philippine Ambassador J Eduardo Malaya, Malaysian Foreign Ministry secretary-general Mohd Radzi Abdul Rahman and other embassy officials.
Del Rosario flew to Kuala Lumpur on Monday evening.
