The conflict chiefly encompassed parts of northern Borneo, areas that Indonesia sought control in her bid to increase her power and influence in Southeast Asia; however, the landing represented a shift of the operational sphere toward the mainland.

The landing was part of an extended campaign of similar incursions into Malaysian territory in late 1964 launched by Indonesian President Sukarno to substantiate an aggressively nationalistic speech delivered on 17 August of that year and to establish a base for a potential Communist rebellion.

Kesang River was not the last attempt by Indonesian forces to establish a foothold in the Malayan wilderness, but continual Allied capture of the raiders began to lessen the security and diplomatic ramifications of such efforts so as to make them far less effective.

Though this was a potentially dangerous effort, as it took the war out of its containment in Borneo, it had a chance of capitalizing upon recent unrest in Malaya and Singapore by putting Indonesian soldiers and sympathizers inside Malaysian territory, where they could attempt to raise the populace against a new and unpopular government.

[2] British troops of General Terence McMeekin's 28th Commonwealth Brigade were immediately directed to the scene, where they swept the region and killed or captured all but two of the invaders, who managed to fade into the wilderness.

In order to turn the tide of the conflict away from mainland Malaysia, the Australian government reluctantly acceded to British pressure and landed a battalion in Borneo, which saw numerous combat action in defending and leading raids over the Indonesian border.