LAHAD DATU: Malaysian and United States military forces took part in a joint exercise in Tanduo, a coastal village here that was an actual combat zone four years ago.
Nearly 500 soldiers were involved in the exercise that saw explosions, air strikes, assault boat landings and paratroopers jumping off planes to land in strategic positions, supposedly fighting Abu Sayyaf militants.
In 2013, Tanduo was in the limelight for the wrong reasons, when followers of the self proclaimed Sulu Sultanate from southern Philippines staked a claim on Sabah in an armed intrusion but ended up defeated when the Malaysia security forces responded with its full might.
Malaysian armed forces Defence and Operation Assistant Chief of Staff Major General Datuk Sheikh Mokhsin Sheikh Hassan said the six-day exercise, which began on Nov 18 and will end on Thursday, helps both sides gauge their capabilities.
“This exercise will give a good impact to both the forces in terms of cooperation in counter-terrorism especially in our sovereign waters. It also provide experience to US marines so they know how it feels like to combat within the forest and mangroves surroundings,” Mokhsin said.
Mokhsin was joined by US Marine Corps 1st Regiment Commander Colonel Kevin Norton in witnessing the exercise dubbed the “Tiger Strike Combat Operation”, according to a statement from the Defence Ministry.
The exercise was designed to intensify combat strength and the capability to strengthen communication, as well as to plan and implement joint amphibian operation on top of boosting bilateral relations between the two nations, it said.
There were a total of 327 Malaysian soldiers from the Royal Malaysian Air Force, the 22nd Royal Malay Regiment and the navy’s Special Operations Force or Paskal while from the US were 129 members of the US Army Special Forces or Green Beret and those from the US Marine Corps 1st Regiment.
In the 2013 intrusion, 10 members of the Malaysian security forces and over 80 militants were killed in the standoff that lasted nearly three months.