joezuax,Malay News

Hamza said village chiefs and household heads in Kampung Tanjung Batu would be allowed to join the assesment team to assess the damage to their houses and village before being allowed to return home on Saturday. LAHAD DATU: A Sulu militant was shot dead after he assaulted Malaysian security forces personnel with a 'barong' (a type of machete) during a search on a house in Kampung Simunul, Semporna, Thursday. Sabah police commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said the incident occurred when the security team was carrying out an integrated mopping up and search operation in the village at 8.40am. He said the man, in his 60s, suddenly tried to hack the body of a member of the security personnel using the sharp object. "During the assault, the security personnel managed to fire a shot at his assailant. However, our man was not injured. "Initial investigation found that the assailant was the bodyguard and an aide to a Sulu terrorist, known as 'Imam Tua'," he told a press conference at the operation centre in Felda Sahabat 16 here.  Imam Tua was one of the terrorists killed in the gun battle with security forces at the water village on March 2, which also claimed the lives of six Malaysian policemen. Hamza said following a search on the house, the security team arrested two women, aged 45 and 30, who were the wife and daughter of the militant. Both of them did not have any valid travel documents and were currently detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), he said. Four men were also arrested during the operation. Hamza said the national security forces had so far killed 68 terrorists, while arresting 121 individuals to facilitate investigation under Sosma and 443 others under other Acts. Hamza also said that village chiefs and household heads in Kampung Tanjung Batu would be allowed to join the assessment team and the National Security Council staff to assess the damage to their houses and village before they were allowed to return home on Saturday. However, he said only villagers with complete documents would be allowed to return home, while those without documents would be placed in a temporary settlement. -