LAHAD DATU: After two weeks into Ops Daulat, more military armoured vehicles are being dispatched to Tanjung Batu yesterday.
Army Division 1 commander Datuk Mohd Zaki Mokhtar said sweeping and mopping up operations continued to clear the last red zone area with the help of the army combat cars.
“These vehicles are equipped with better mobility and protection which enable us to move into challenging areas,” he said.
Speaking during a media brief here at Felda Residence Sahabat, he added previously, movement of security forces into the operation areas was limited due to difficulty accessing the surrounding areas such as swamps, mangroves and plantations.
“With this, we will be able to mobilise our security forces outside the operation areas and we hope to complete the operation as soon as possible,” he said.
Mohd Zaki added that since their operation yesterday, they had not made any contact with the armed intruders.
To date, 107 people have been nabbed under the Security Offence (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA), read with Section 130 (c) of the Penal Code.
They are scheduled to be charged in court soon.
A total of 241 people were arrested for several offences under the Immigration Act and Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act.
Since the first clash on March 1, 10 Malaysian security forces had been killed, including one in a road accident, while 62 gunmen were slain.
A total of 28 bodies of gunmen had been taken to the Tawau and Lahad Datu hospitals for post mortem while security forces had buried 15 decomposed bodies at Kampung Tanduo, some 150 kilometres from here.