However, Malaysia’s national police chief said more than nine hours after the attack began that “mopping up” operations had yet to find any dead militants, and expressed fears that at least some of them might have slipped away.
Prime Minister Najib Razak said he had no choice but to unleash the military to try to end Malaysia’s biggest security crisis in years after the interlopers refused to surrender and 27 people were killed.
A day after the Philippines called for restraint, Malaysia launched a dawn assault on the estimated 100-300 gunmen, who invaded to claim Malaysian territory on behalf of a former Philippine sultanate.
Fighter jets bombed the standoff village of Tanduo in Sabah state on the northern tip of Borneo island, followed by a ground assault by troops. The area is set amid vast oil-palm plantations.
“The longer this invasion lasts, it is clear to the authorities that the invaders do not intend to leave Sabah,” Najib said.
Federal police chief Ismail Omar told reporters in an afternoon press conference near the standoff site that soldiers were mopping up across a wide area of hilly plantation country but had yet to find any dead militants.
“I have instructed my commanders to be on alert because we believe the enemies are still out there,” Ismail said.
“We of course hope that they have not escaped,” he said, providing few other details. However, he said Malaysian forces had suffered no casualties.
