Identities of three dead Malaysians still not confirmed

KUALA LUMPUR: The identities of three Malaysians killed in a recent battle with the Philippine armed forces in Marawi, Mindanao, have yet to be verified, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

He said the investigation was still ongoing to confirm those killed to avoid confusion.

This is because based on police information, five Malaysians are believed to have joined the Islamic State group in the Philippines.

“Police are still awaiting (the report) and of the five persons in the Philippines, one was confirmed dead last year.

“As such, we have not been able to verify who among them had been killed,” he said yesterday.

The Philippine media had reported that two of the three Malaysians killed were identified as Ustaz Abdulrahman Asmawi from Kelantan and Dr Kamsa Yahya from Kedah.

Meanwhile, Khalid received a courtesy call by China’s Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun in Bukit Aman here.

Guo, who is on a four-day visit to Malaysia, held an hour-long discussion with Khalid and other top police officers.

On the meeting, Khalid said it was held to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

“The cordial relations have enabled us to resolve many problems quickly,” he added. — Bernama