REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Deputy House Speaker Fadli Zon lauded the National Police and Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) for neutralizing wanted fugitive Santoso alias Abu Wardah during the Tinombala Operation in the Mt. Tambarana area, Central Sulawesi, on Monday.

"The achievement of the Tinombala task force during the operation in the Mt. Tambarana area is commendable. We hope that Santoso's death will be able to paralyze the terror group that he had headed," Zon affirmed here, Wednesday.

Since the start of the joint operation in January 2016, the members of the task force had made several sacrifices, he pointed out.

Zon recalled that 13 military personnel had lost their lives when their helicopter crashed during the operation last March.

The success of the operation also demonstrated a strong coordination between the National Police and TNI in implementing their on-field tasks, he noted.

The lawmaker suggested applying a more holistic approach while conducting counterterrorism activities in Indonesia as terrorism was basically an act of crime, which was triggered by three factors.

"The first is the domestic factor that includes poverty, low level of education, and injustice with regard to the law enforcement process," he explained.

The second factor is an international one as terrorist groups have strong global networks to support their logistic and funding requirements, as well as emotional ties.

Zon said the third factor concerns the cultural aspect as several community groups still exist that have a narrow thought process while interpreting religious teachings.

Therefore, terrorism could not merely be dealt through repression but also through preventive actions, he emphasized.

The manner in which the criminal justice system handles terror groups should also be backed by economic, social, and cultural approaches as part of the preventive measures, he stated.

The Tinombala operation, involving military and police personnel, succeeded in killing the terror group's leader Santoso and one of his members.

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