Esscom braces for fleeing Abu Sayyaf
Published on: Sunday, September 04, 2016
Tawau: The Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) is ready to face any possibility of Abu Sayyaf terrorists fleeing to Sabah, said its Commander DCP Datuk Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid.This followed the announcement by the Philippines government to eliminate the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in southern Philippines on a large scale."We welcome the action taken by the government of the Philippines and we are prepared to face the possibility of the people from the southern region or hunted Abu Sayyaf members fleeing to Sabah," he said Saturday.
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Wan Abdul Bari said Esscom noted and followed developments on the matter and daily operations to monitor the national waters, which would be ongoing at sea and on land in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone).He said Esscom personnel and assets had been directed to monitor any suspicious movements such as smuggling activities or the possibility of cross border attacks."On land, we conduct weekly operations of three to four days, some have already entered Sabah as we also know that some of them may have family ties with the population in this State," he added.Esszone covers an area of 1,733.7km long and 100,000 sq km comprising 10 districts, namely Kudat, Kota Marudu, Pitas, Beluran, Kinabatangan, Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau.
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In DAVAO, Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte declared Saturday a nationwide "state of lawlessness" after a bombing police believe was orchestrated by Muslim militants killed 14 people in his home city during his weekend visit there.Duterte, the crime-busting mayor of Davao for more than two decades, said the blast late on Friday at a market outside a high-end hotel had intensified what was already an "extraordinary time" in the Philippines.
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"I must declare a state of lawless violence in this country, it's not martial law," Duterte said."I have this duty to protect this country."Police and the military promised to implement the nationwide "state of lawlessness", although there appeared to be confusion about what that actually entailed.Duterte's office said the phrase was "rooted" in an article of the constitution that puts the president in charge of the armed forces. Officials said the declaration meant troops would assist police in anti-crime and anti-terror operations.Suspicion among top officials in Duterte's administration has centred on Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic State-linked group against which the military has stepped up operations after a series of piracy incidents and high-profile murders of Western hostages captured international attention.Duterte had been at a meeting some 12 km (7.5 miles) away from downtown Davao when the explosion occurred.It came as the uncompromising president wages war with just about anyone from drugs kingpins and street dealers to Islamist rebels and corrupt bureaucrats, scoring big points in opinion polls but at a risk of making powerful enemies.National police chief, Director General Ronald Dela Rosa, said an improvised explosive device (IED) had been used and that mortar fragments had been detected.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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