Lahad Datu – A year later: Widow of slain commando continues with life courageously

Despite having lost her husband ASP Zulkifli Mamat to Sulu gunmen in Lahad Datu last year, Noor Aziah has been courageously continuing on with her life.

She is trying to do the best she can as a single mother of three children.

Aziah, 29, appeared a strong figure when met at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur, where her three-month-old son was warded in the High Dependency Unit for breathing complications.

On March 2, 2013, VAT 69 commando Zulkifli, 29, was killed in a shootout with Sulu intruders in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu, Sabah.

Aziah described her late husband as a very patient man.

 

“He was very friendly with everyone, and not the sort to pick and choose his friends,” she said, adding that while Zulkifli was soft spoken, he could also be firm when he needed to be.

Aziah said her husband was a very active person, and when not working, would always find something to occupy his time, such as jogging, motor biking, or mountain climbing.

“I used to sometimes ask him, ‘You are always working, can’t you sit still?’ He never felt tired!” recalled Aziah, who lives in Perak.

Upon hearing of his deployment to Lahad Datu, Aziah was initially hesitant about allowing him to go but relented when told how important the mission was.

“When he was sent to Sabah, he had just returned from Sarawak on another assignment. I asked him not to go to Lahad Datu as I was unwell. I did not know I was pregnant then,” she said.

Although Zulkifli looked heavy-hearted to leave, Aziah could also tell that her husband was determined to assisting his comrades in combat.

“He told me that it was not easy to get assigned for the mission because everyone was fighting for a chance to go. He said he was lucky to have been chosen,” she said.

“When I asked him to take a break from work, he said that he would take a rest after his mission. He told me that we would go on a holiday after he came back,” said the secondary school teacher.

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