Malaysia: Malaysia

Malaysia Dept: The assault follows firefights in Malaysia's eastern Sabah state this past week that killed eight police officers and 19 Filipino gunmen, some of whom were members of a Philippine Muslim clan that shocked Malaysia and the neighbouring Philippines by slipping by boat past naval patrols last month and storming an obscure village, according to Calgary Herald. The clansmen, armed with rifles and grenade launchers, had refused to leave, staking a long-dormant claim to the entire state of Sabah, which they insisted was their ancestral birthright and kUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia launched airstrikes and mortar attacks against nearly 200 Filipinos occupying a Borneo seaside village Tuesday to end a bizarre three-week siege that turned into a security nightmare for both Malaysia and the Philippines. National police chief Ismail Omar said Malaysian security forces suffered no casualties in Tuesday's offensive, but he did not give details about the Filipinos. Airstrikes "achieved their objectives in accordance to the targets," while ground forces who encountered resistance from gunmen firing at them were carrying out "mopping up" operations by searching houses in the village, Ismail said, without elaborating on how many have been detained. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.