They died in a shoot-out with security forces who conducted a special operation to track down the group at about 5am.

Sabah police commissioner Hazani Ghazali confirmed the incident with Berita Harian, saying a press conference will be held at the Sandakan district police headquarters later this morning.

Today’s incident followed information gathered from a previous special operation at Taman Sri Arjuna in Beaufort on May 8.

It is understood that all the members of the special operation team are safe.

On May 18, police shot dead five members of Abu Sayyaf in a special operation at a squatter area surrounded by mangrove swamp near Taman Sri Arjuna in Beaufort.

Hazani had said one of them was the sub-leader of the group, known as Mabar Binda, who was also wanted by the Philippine government.

Later that month, another eight people suspected of having links to Abu Sayyaf were arrested in a raid and handed over to the Philippine security forces.