Body of dead Sulu gunman identified as 'General' Haji Musa

From the Malaysia Chronicle (Mar 12): Body of dead Sulu gunman identified as 'General' Haji Musa

LAHAD DATU - The body of a dead Sulu gunman whom police believed was a high-ranking figure of the terrorist group was identified as that of "General" Haji Musa today.

Haji Musa who was tasked to lead the so-called Royal Sulu Army of self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III was killed along with 31 other gunman at Kampung Tanjung Batu in a battle with Malaysian security forces on Thursday.

On Sunday evening, police and the army personnel who are in the process of recovering the bodies of 45 dead gunmen that lay in a decomposed state in the village and Kampung Tanduo sent 16 remains of the enemy to the Lahad Datu Hospital (HLD) mortuary.

Federal police forensics assistant director (disaster victim identification) chief ACP Hussein Omar Khan when met at the HLD at noon said that although the bodies are highly decomposed and was beyond recognition, police believe Haji Musa's body was among those brought in for a post mortem.

The remains of the gunmen that were in body bags were stacked in a two-tiered shelf in a cold room at the hospital.

"There are a total of 18 bodies of the gunmen here. Two was brought in days earlier while the rest were sent here on Sunday.

"A team of pathologists led by Datuk Dr Zahari Noor of the Penang General Hospital will conduct the post mortems." said Hussein who is heading the police forensics team for Ops Daulat.

He said if the bodies are not claimed after the post mortem is done, the dead gunmen will be placed in a temporary burial grounds. He added that more bodies are being recovered by security forces at the battlefield to be sent over to hospitals here and nearby towns.

Hussein said there are 87 forensics personnel, mostly from Kuala Lumpur who will assist in the exercise of recording details of the recovered bodies and gathering clues.

On March 7, following a fierce gunfight between security forces and the Sulu intruders at Kampung Tanjung Batu, 31 of the enemy were killed.

Police had revealed that they had also shot dead a "general" based on the insignia on the military fatigues he was in. It was initially suspected that the gunman was Jamalul's younger brother Agbimuddin Kiram.

Agbimuddin is the head honcho of the group while Haji Musa was the "ground commander" in charge of planning the offensive on Malaysian security forces.

Agbimuddin's whereabouts remain unknown though there are speculations that he may have sneaked out of Kampung Tanduo fled Malaysia.

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