REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Tinombala Operation 2016 launched to hunt Santoso and his men in the jungles of Poso, Central Sulawesi Province, has been extended for another six months, a cabinet member said.
"I propose that the operation be extended for six months because if it is extended for every two months, we are just going to be busy with administrative matters," Political, Legal and Security Affairs Coordinating Minister, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said on Thursday.
The Indonesian military and police had launched a manhunt for the top leader of the Poso-based terrorist group, who is also known as Abu Wardah, through the Tinombala Operation 2016 on January 10, but he is yet to be caught.
"The extension is needed because the joint operation involving the military and police personnel has just run well for 43 days," he said, adding that the security personnel have been able to corner Santoso and his men.
"They have been relatively encircled," he stated.
The government has discussed the financial matters of this extended operation and there will be a significant progress within the next few weeks, he stated.
The police chief also plans to visit Poso to observe the latest developments in the operation, Luhut said.
For Indonesia, Santoso's capture is undoubtedly significant for its counter-terrorism efforts though it may only reduce the threat of terrorism in the country.
According to the Director of the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), Sidney Jones, "Neither terrorism, nor support for ISIS, will go away with the arrest of Santoso."
She argued that "Violent extremism is a hydra-headed problem for which there are no easy solutions." (IPAC Report No.18, 2015).
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