22 March 2016•Update: 28 March 2016
By Ainur Rohmah
TUBAN, Indonesia
Indonesian officials confirmed Tuesday that two more members of a Daesh-affiliated group have been killed in an operation to catch the country’s most wanted man in a troubled mountainous town in central Sulawesi island.
Army Commander Gatot Nurmantyo was quoted by Detik.com as saying, “at 10 a.m., there was a gunfight and two unknown people are dead."
National police chief Badrodin Haiti confirmed that the men slain in Poso town were suspected members of the East Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT), led by Abu Wardah Santoso.
"At this moment, they [the terrorist group] has been encircled in that area [Napu district]," Kompas.com quoted him saying.
A combined force of more than 2,000 police and army officers is presently hunting Santoso -- suspected of involvement in the deaths of a number of policemen and civilians -- in the jungles of Poso under an operation launched in January.
Police chief Haiti expressed optimism Tuesday that security forces would be able to capture Santoso, who is believed to be hiding deep in the jungle with dozens of his followers in an area of 3-4 kilometers (1.9-2 miles).
"They [followers] form some small groups, consisting of six to seven people [guarding some points]. Their leader is not [present] at that place, but in another place," he said.
"That strategy makes it difficult for us to catch Santoso. When we raid the group, the person who are arrested or killed are not Santoso but his followers," he added.
He underlined that security personnel have responded to the tactic by separating into smaller groups around the forested area.
Operation Tinombala had been set to conclude March 10, but has been extended until September.
On Sunday, 13 army personnel were killed when a military helicopter crashed during a thunderstorm in the mountains of Poso during the operation.
Army commander Nurmantyo said that all the victims would be buried at the military’s Heroes Cemetery Tuesday after receiving posthumous honors from President Joko Widodo.
"This place is the respected spot that is desired by every solder," he underlined.
Last week, more than five suspected members of the terror group -- including two ethnic Uighur from China -- were killed.
The chief of the National Agency for Combating Terrorism, Inspector Gen. Tito Karnavian, claimed Tuesday that Uighur had traveled to Poso to receive military-style training from the MIT, which he said has a large network in Southeast Asia.
