10 years on, the scars remain

Tense situation: A file photo showing Malaysian security forces firing a 81mm mortar during a clash with the armed intruders in Semporna.

KOTA KINABALU: A decade later, the scars of the Lahad Datu intrusion remain etched in the memories of the families of security personnel who lost their lives in the attack.

It all began on Feb 9, 2013, when a group of gunmen led by Agbimuddin Kiram, the brother of self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III attempted to “reclaim” their ancestral land and landed in Lahad Datu’s coastal Kampung Tanduo in batches.