Indonesia strikes a blow against terror
By Sara Schonhardt
JAKARTA - Police dealt a blow to Indonesia's main terrorism network Thursday
after confirming the death of top-ranked Islamic militant Noordin Mohammed Top
following a raid on a home in Central Java.
The raid was carried out by Detachment 88, the anti-terror arm of the national
police force which has received training and assistance from the United States
and Australian governments. It represented the counter-terror squad's latest
attempt to root out the al-Qaeda-linked network,Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).
JI is believed to have orchestrated the twin bomb attacks on the Jakarta-based
JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels on July 17. The bombings were the first in
nearly four years after a string of attacks that started in 2002 at a popular
nightclub in Bali that
killed more than 200 people, mostly foreign tourists.
Three other terror suspects were captured in Thursday's operation, a police
spokesman told reporters. A series of raids and arrests have occurred across
the country since the hotel bombings that killed seven and wounded more than 50
people.
The dragnet has led to the death and detention of several more suspects,
including migrant workers suspected of traveling to the Middle East to bring
back funding for terror operations, a Garuda airline technician and a reputed
high-level associate of Top's.
Analysts say Thursday's high-profile hit is good news for Detachment 88, which
has had a difficult time winning support among a population that is typically
suspicious of police operations.
"This is a major achievement in Indonesia's counterterrorism efforts," said
Rizal Sukma, executive director of Indonesia's Center for Strategic and
International Studies. He said that Top's killing eliminated a major threat
before United States President Barack Obama's expected visit to Indonesia in
November.
Taken together, the developments have increased expectations of what the police
can achieve, said Rizal, expressing his hope that the internationally lauded
operation will improve the morality and credibility of the police, an
institution long associated with corruption and inefficiency.
After an early morning firefight on Thursday, the siege made headlines across
the world and immediately stirred rumors that one of Southeast Asia's most
wanted and dangerous militants was killed in the attack.
Authorities claimed two separate but similar operations on August 8 that helped
foil a plot to kill President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono raised expectations
carried over the media that Top had been killed. When police later searched the
sites of the attacks, however, Noordin was not among the three killed. That
apparent failure stirred debate over the need for cooperation between the
police and the military (TNI).
In mid-August, Yudhoyono said that the Indonesian military deserved a "place"
in the fight against terrorism, but the effort remained in the hands of
civilian law enforcement.
Thursday's raid comes after weeks of intelligence work by the police and civil
authorities, said Noor Huda Ismail, a terrorism expert and vice president of
security consultant Sekurindo Global Consulting.
"[Top's] death suggests that there is no need for TNI to play an internal
security role in Indonesia," Rizal said.
Ikrar Nusa Bakti, a political analyst from the Indonesian Institute of
Sciences, raised some suspicions about the timing of the operation when he told
the Jakarta Globe that he hoped the raid was not specifically aimed at
revamping the police's image, which is currently suffering over a dispute
between senior police officers and the independent Corruption Eradication
Commission after the latter accused police of trying to discredit its mandate.
Still, Indonesia has done well to stem terrorist attacks in this majority
Muslim nation of 240 million since Yudhoyono took office in 2004 on a platform
that included tougher anti-terror initiatives. Compared to his predecessor,
Megawati Sukarnoputri, Yudhoyono has taken a more proactive approach to rooting
out militants.
For instance, discussions on national security now tend more toward addressing
the root causes of terrorist attacks. "My concern is not so much in catching
Noordin Top," Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said during a recent security
panel discussion with the country's top terrorism experts. "I am more concerned
with his example as a Robin Hood figure."
Juwono said poverty and unequal development marginalizes certain sectors of
society, making economically frustrated young men targets for recruitment among
extremist groups. Top was known for recruiting his members from different
disaffected groups around Indonesia's main island of Java.
According to Sidney Jones, a Southeast Asia analysts with the International
Crisis Group (ICG), family links may be even more important than economic
factors. Schools, medical clinics and even publishing houses have been shown to
have significant connections to Top's network, a splinter group of JI.
The ICG mentions in particular the magazine an-Najah and Muqowama, a company
that reputedly produced al-Qaeda videos with Indonesian subtitles. At the end
of August, police also arrested Mohamad Jibril, owner of publishing company
Ar-Rahmah Media, on suspicion that he helped arrange funding for the July 17
bombings, according to ICG.
The house targeted in Thursday's attack belonged to a young couple, both
teachers at an Islamic boarding school, local village chief Suratim told the
Associated Press. Although analysts are uncertain about the actual size and
reach of Top's network, ICG predicts it is much bigger and more sophisticated
than many analysts suspect.
Jones estimated in a recent panel discussion that Top's network had a minimum
of 30-40 followers. She also said that radical groups known to recruit in
Central Sulawesi have expertise in sharp shooting and targeted assassinations.
Others say the group is more a collection of small factions that are not
particularly cohesive.
"The problem police are now facing is the presence of splinter groups that lack
single coordination, making them harder to root out," Rizal said.
The ad hoc nature of Top's support base makes it difficult to track, and, say
many analysts, requires additional support from the local police and community
leaders to monitor the operations of radical groups in their areas. Top
provided the ideological inspiration that drove recruitment into his network,
said Rizal, speculating about the impact his death would have on the future of
terrorism in Indonesia.
"Of course, there are still a number of elements at large and who knows what
they've learned," he said.
Sara Schonhardt is a freelance writer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. She
has lived and worked in Southeast Asia for six years and has a master's degree
in international affairs from Columbia University.
(Copyright 2009 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please
contact us about
sales, syndication and
republishing.)
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road,
Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
