News and Analysis: Indonesian Police Counter-Terrorism Operations in Poso, Sulawesi Against Jemaah Islamiyah Linked Militants, 28 January 2007
Indonesia: On 22 January, Indonesian police conducted a raid against suspected Islamic militants believed to be associated with the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist organization in Poso City, Sulawesi. The militants fought a sustained gun battle against the police using automatic weapons, grenades, and handmade explosive devices. The ensuing battle resulted in four killed, including one police officer and an unknown number of wounded. Police arrested 26 individuals, some 10 of whom were released later in the week. Three of those killed appeared to be civilians who were either caught in the crossfire or mistaken by the police for militants fleeing the area of the operation. The raid was conducted against several targeted residences in the Tanah Runtuh neighborhood located on the southwest side of the Poso, and followed on the heels of an earlier operation conducted on 11 January in the same area. Police estimated that there were approximately 50 militants gathered in the vicinity of Tanah Runtuh.
The earlier 11 January raid resulted in the death of Dedi Parsan and Rian, both militants believed to be key participants in the communal violence that wracked Poso from the 1998-2001. Additionally, four other suspected militants were arrested. This operation elicited a negative reaction from the local community and a police officer was later beaten to death by a crowd of mourners gathered for Rian’s funeral.
The police, over the last few months, had been negotiating for the surrender of militants who had sought refuge and were hiding in Poso and this effort met limited success among a few lower ranking members of the group. However, the more hardcore members ignored the overtures from the security forces and appeared to be planning future operations. At this point, the police decided that they needed to take action to prevent what appeared to be spiraling violence in the province. (Comment – the police maintain a list 29 high value individuals associated with terrorist actions who they believe are living in vicinity of Poso. Of the 29 persons on the list, the 11 January raid killed one and captured two, while the 22 January raid netted two more.) During both raids, local police were assisted by national police, and the U.S. trained and equipped police Detachment 88, an elite CT unit.
(Comment – These raids exhibit an increasing assertiveness on the behalf of the Indonesian police to go after and attack terrorists cells and individual militants within the country. For the most part, the raids should be considered a success and will not only disrupt the JI network in Poso, but also, result in an intelligence boon as key suspects are interrogated by the police and intelligence organizations. The police and Indonesia’s legal system now have to ensure that those apprehended are humanly treated and given due process. This will increase the odds of bringing those still on the run out of hiding facilitating their surrender to authorities. The raids also demonstrate an increasing level of competence within the police and Detachment 88 to conduct tactical operations against terrorists. From what is being reported, it appears that the police and civil authorities made a genuine attempt since November to negotiate surrender terms with the militants in the Tanah Runtuk neighborhood, but these overtures were largely ignored. With this significant tactical success, it remains to be seen if the local and national government can follow-up in articulating their case to the section of the local population that is sympathetic to the militant cause in Poso, and fear renewed large-scale inter-religious violence. Note – Poso was the scene of extreme Christian-Muslim fighting that occurred in the province for three years from 1998 to 2001 and resulted in an estimated 2,000 deaths. For a detailed examination of the events leading up the raid and background on the JI in Poso, see Jihadism in Indonesia: Poso on the Edge, Asia Report No. 127 – 24 January 2007, International Crisis Group. See link below.)
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