4 dead, 2 hurt as Sulu ‘royal’ troops, Malaysian forces clash anew

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DIGOS CITY, Philippines—Four people, including two children, died while a Malaysian soldier and another boy were hurt as Malaysian security forces and members of the ill-equipped Sulu “royal army” clashed anew in Tanjung Batu in Lahad Datu Sunday, the Malaysian military reported.

Malaysian Armed Forces Chief General Zulkifeli Zin said in a news conference, reported on by a Sabah-based radio station, that the injured boy had been airlifted to a hospital and the bodies of the four people with Filipino ancestry had been sent to a morgue.

He said Malaysian security forces had entered a house in Tanjung Batu around 9:15 a.m. as they tailed “two terrorists” but they were fired instead, prompting them to retaliate.