THE governments of the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia on Tuesday advised their citizens against traveling to Zamboanga and the nearby provinces as a result of the ongoing clashes there between the government’s forces and the fighters of the Moro National Liberation Front.
The three countries also warned their citizens against traveling to most of Mindanao including the Sulu Archipelago.
The warnings came even as Malaysia’s armed forces tightened the security along the coastal borders of Sabah as a result of the conflict in Zamboanga City.
Datuk Mohammad Mentek, director general of the Eastern Sabah Security Command, said the heightened security alert was issued to prevent a spillover of the clashes into Malaysian territory.
“Esscom is coordinating checks with our security forces following the incident,” Mohammad was quoted by the Malaysian news agency Star Online.