KOTA KINABALU, April 17 — Sulu intruders in Lahad Datu launched a probing attack on Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) conducting a cut-off operation at Kampung Sungai Nyamuk last year, the High Court here heard today.

Major Mingan Yusri Othman said he and his team received instructions to carry out a mopping-up operation at a swampy area at the village where a cut-off team had earlier been attacked.

He explained the mopping-up operation was to force the intruders into the cut-off area where security forces would either apprehend or shoot them if they did not surrender.

Asked by deputy public prosecutor Ishak Mohd Yusof if he knew how the cut-off team was attacked, Mingan said the intruders launched a probing attack to get information on the cut-off team’s position.

“Probing attack is a periodic attack by the enemies on the security forces by launching gunshots to find out the security forces’ location,” he explained.

Mingan said he and 25 men on his team began the mopping-up operation at Kampung Sungai Nyamuk at 7am on March 12, last year.

About 10.30am, he said he heard continued gunshots for about two minutes from the direction of a team conducting a cut-off in front.

When the gunshots ended, he and his team moved 2km to merge with the cut-off team from where he heard the gunshots, and were also joined by another cut-off team.

Mingan said after the three teams merged, he and the other team leaders discussed how to take control of the area before them to eliminate the rest of the enemies and take out the body of a man, believed to have been shot dead by one the other two teams.

Thirty people, comprising 27 Filipinos and three local residents, are being tried in the case, in which some are facing multiple charges of being members of a terrorist group or waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, recruiting members for a terrorist group or wilfully harbouring individuals they knew to be members of a terrorist group.

They allegedly committed the offences between Feb 12 and April 10 last year.

The hearing before Justice Stephen Chung at the Sabah Prisons Department continues this afternoon.

Before hearing resumed in the afternoon, the court observed a minute’s silence as a mark of respect to Bukit Gelugor Member of Parliament and prominent lawyer Karpal Singh who was killed in a road accident in Kampar, Perak early today.

The crash occurred about 1.10am at the 306.1km North-South Expressway near Gua Tempurung.

Continuing his evidence, Mingan told the court that as he and his team were taking position to conduct a cut-off operation at Kampung Sungai Nyamuk, Lahad Datu on March 12, last year, Private Ahmad Hurairah Ismail was shot dead by the intruders.

He said the incident occurred about 1pm when the cut-off team led by Major Mohd Sukri Ismail was forming a line.

“I saw a platoon in a line facing the enemies. When the platoon moved a few steps forward, I heard a gunshot from the front of the platoon.

“Then, I heard a shout, ‘Ahmad Hurairah has been shot’, about three times,” he said.

After hearing the shout, Mingan said members of the platoon gave covering fire while a few members went to the location where Ahmad Hurairah was shot to carry him to the rear of the cut off location which was on a higher level.

At the same time, Mingan’s team also gave a 10-minute covering fire at the location where the intruders were positioned.

Asked by deputy public prosecutor Ishak Mohd Yusof if he saw Ahmad Hurairah’s injuries, he said the deceased was shot in the right eye and the bullet went through the skull.

He also said the young soldier was wearing a safety helmet during the incident, known as Helmet Nato.

During cross-examination, Mingan told the court that he heard a single gunshot when Ahmad Hurairah was shot and was about 50 metres from where the latter was shot.

“In your experience as major in the army, this particular shooting of Private Ahmad Hurairah, does it show all the signs of a sniper shot?,” asked counsel Datuk N. Sivananthan.

Mingan replied that it was, as it was a single shot and it went through Ahmad Hurairah’s right eyeball.

He also said a sniper was able to shoot a target, depending on the distance between the shooter and the target, and did not require any specific weapon to execute the job.

When the MAF gave covering fire to get to Ahmad Hurairah, Mingan told the court the intruders did not return fire.

The hearing continues on May 5. — Bernama