REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, By: Toni Ervianto *)

National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti has ordered Operation Tinombala security personnel to immediately arrest terrorist fugitive Santoso, who is reportedly hiding in a forest near Poso, Central Sulawesi. National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said on Monday that Badrodin told senior police officers at National Police headquarters that Santoso, who led the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terrorist group, must be apprehended before Operation Tinombala was due to end in August.

The police chief told the Tinombala Operation task force to maximize measures and formulate a new strategy to arrest MIT members, Boy said as quoted by kompas.com on Monday. Tinombala Operation, which was initially scheduled to end early May, was extended three months from May 10 to Aug. 10, after the failure to catch Santoso.

Earlier, two members of terror group the East Indonesia Mujahiddin (MIT) arrested by the police in Poso, Central Sulawesi, on Friday were carrying pipe bombs.

Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Rudy Sufahriadi said Ibadurohman aka Ibad aka Amru from Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, and Muhammad Sulaeman aka Sul aka Ifan from Madura, East Java, had been on the most-wanted list of Tinombala Operation, a joint military and police operation. The part were caught as they were looking for food in Padalembara village, Poso Pesisir Selatan subdistrict, before Friday prayers. "They were arrested when they were hungry and unarmed, but they had more than three pipe bombs with them," Rudy said as quoted by Antara news agency.

National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti confirmed the arrests to journalists at Mutiara Sis Al-Jufri Airport in Palu, Central Sulawesi. "[The terrorists] are now at the Mobile Brigade Command Headquarters detention center in Poso," Badrodin said without giving further details.

Badrodin and several National Police officials visited Poso and Palu on Friday to monitor the progress of Tinombala Operation, which aims to capture MIT leader and Indonesia's most-wanted terrorist Santoso, aka Abu Wardah. National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief Comr. Gen. Tito Karnavian and the Mobile Brigade chief Insp. Gen. Murad Ismail also joined the visit.

Badrodin said he had been given reports and presentations from the Central Sulawesi Police chief and other officials involved in the Tinombala Operation, and had concluded that many aspects of the operation were going well. However, Badrodin said, there were several things that needed to be improved in the field, but declined to elaborate, noting that the aspects were technical. "There are 12 days left for us to discuss it comprehensively," Badrodin said.

The terrorists were caught roaming the neighborhood in search of food. When they arrived at the Poso Police station, they refused to answer questions before being given food. "They were given food and a shot of vitamins, and their wounds were healed," a source said. The police then took the pair to Mobile Brigade headquarters in  Poso  for further questioning.

Can Be Caught ?

Catching a fugitive terrorist like Santoso doesn’t an easy task, but a target to catch Santoso by Tinombala Operation before next August can reach if all of stakeholders in Poso, Central Sulawesi and Jakarta must be intensify coordination and formulating new tactics and new strategies to catch Santoso and his gang.

One of hurdles which can face by Tinombala Operation personnel doesn’t Santoso and his gang, because the moral of fight from Santoso’s and his members has been believed in low level, because they had been a number of problem’s such as reduced member’s, reduced support from Poso’s local resident and Santoso’s terrorist group also has a logistic supply problem’s such as food, fresh water, clothes, bullets and guns.

As far as, many aspects from Tinombala Operation were going well. The people of Central Sulawesi and specially the Poso’s local resident had been understood that the existance of MIT under Santoso’s leadership just only made a number of problem’s for themselves.

Before Tinombala operation’s had been held, most of Poso’s local resident used to thought that Santoso’s and his gang were a kind of hero, but when Tinombala operation’s has operated in Poso, most of Poso’s local resident had been a new perspective and they were knew that Santoso aka Abu Wardah and his gang weren’t a hero for them but Santoso’s and his gang were a common enemies by them.

Globally, a number of ISIS’s battle lost in Syria and Iraq for an international coallition led by United States which has been proven by retaking Fallujah by Iraqi forces from ISIS’s member, the claim of Bakr al Baghdadi’s death by some of a western newspaper such as Daily Mirror and Guardian and the death of ISIS’s battle commander in Fallujah has been shocked by a number of terrorist group’s which had been affiliated with ISIS’s. Those facts believed can make a spirit of fight from various a groups’ terror including Santoso’s and his gang had been decreased. Meanwhile, those facts can be motivated for Tinombala operation apparatus to defeat Santoso’s and his gang.  

The target to catch Santoso’s and his gang before August is a normal purpose because with a large number member’s which is joint at Tinombala Operation from a various special team from army, Special Detachments 88 National Polices, navy and an intelligence apparatus, they should be caught Santoso’s and his gang dead or alive.

The successful of Tinombala Operation to catch Santoso’s and his gang dead or alive can be increased a national dignity and its proving that Indonesia’s security, police and an intelligence apparatus can be reliable to tackle a serious problem’s like a terrorist threat.

*) The writer has earned his master at the University of Indonesia (UI). Resided in Jakarta.

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