The government has formed a special police force to counter security threats from Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and militant groups operating in the nearby southern Philippines, a senior official said today.

Ali Hanafiah, the brigade commander for Sabah, said the recent capture of suspected regional terror leader Hambali and militant Muslim groups operating in the neighbouring southern Philippines prompted the creation of the unit, codenamed the "Tiger Platoon".

"The Tiger platoon will bolster our capacity to fight JI and any other militants," he told AFP .

The force has already been strategically deployed in parts of Sabah, particularly in areas close to the southern Philippines, Ali told AFP .

Well-trained officers

Officers of the unit, all experts in sniper fire and close combat, have also been trained in urban-guerrilla warfare and hostage rescue, he said.

"They work in small numbers and have the capacity to fight close-quarter battles," he said.

Sabah police commissioner Ramli Yusuff said Monday that 174 personnel, including seven officers, have been trained in jungle, sea and urban warfare.

"The security forces are ready to face challenges and will not treat lightly the current developments although several terrorist leaders in the region have been captured," he was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

Vulnerable state

Ramli said Sabah could be vulnerable to militant activities of JI and the Muslim kidnapping group Abu Sayyaf based in southern Philippines.

The state has already boosted security in the waters off its eastern coast following hostage-taking incidents by Abu Sayyaf gunmen on Sipadan and Pandanan islands in 2000.

Police in Sabah have arrested six suspected JI members in the east coast town of Sandakan.

Hambali was al-Qaeda's suspected pointman in Asia and the operations chief of JI, considered the Southeast Asian arm of al-Qaeda and blamed for the bombings on Indonesia's resort island of Bali and the Marriott hotel bombings in Jakarta among other attacks. - AFP