An Aborted Invasion Against Malaysia

An Aborted Invasion Against Malaysia

1980s Philippine Army

From more than 300 years of Spanish colonization to 40-plus years of American occupation, the Philippines unfortunately has been on the receiving end of a lot of foreign invasions. No one would ever expect a country that has historically defended itself from external aggression to plan an invasion of its own. But surprise, surprise—the Philippines actually almost carried out an invasion attempt against neighboring country Malaysia.

In the 1960s, President Ferdinand Marcos—who would later declare martial law and become dictator—sanctioned Operation Merdeka to retake nearby Sabah (North Borneo) from the Malaysians. That particular piece of resource-rich area had been a flashpoint of contention between the two countries for decades and Marcos decided it was high-time the Philippines took it back. He had his men recruit Muslims from the southern regions and trained them as commandos in the island fortress of Corregidor near Manila.