Working with Indonesia<\/p>\n
Indonesian Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
\nannounced last week that the government would extend martial law
\nfor at least six months in Aceh, a province terrorized by
\nseparatist violence. This has led to complaints from human-rights
\ngroups concerned with alleged abuses at the hands of soldiers in
\nrebelling villages. For the same reason, two weeks ago, a handful
\nof U.S. senators blocked President Bush's plan to provide aid to
\nhelp professionalize Indonesian troops. Isolating the Indonesian
\nmilitary is a strategic mistake for the United States. America
\nneeds to build its relationship with Jakarta.<\/p>\n
There are few governments in the world that can assist
\nWashington more in the war on terror than Jakarta. On Oct. 30,
\nfor example, Indonesian police barely missed capturing Jamaah
\nIslamiyah bomb experts Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Mohammad,
\nboth of whom have had assets frozen by the United States for
\ntheir links to al-Qaeda. In their haste to abandon their hideout
\nahead of the police dragnet that is getting tighter by the day,
\nthe two terrorists left behind bombs, bomb-making equipment,
\nidentification and other documentation relating to their work.<\/p>\n
It is important for policy-makers in Washington not to forget
\nthat the two most deadly terrorist attacks since Sept. 11 were
\nperpetrated on Indonesian soil. Many Indonesians have been killed
\nby Islamic terrorists. Local officials have arrested dozens of
\nJamaah Islamiyah members and other terrorist suspects in the past
\nyear. Interrogation of these prisoners provided the leads for the
\nraid two weeks ago, as well as evidence used for the convictions
\n(in Indonesia) of terrorist leaders such as Jamaah Islamiyah
\nmastermind Abu Bakar Bashir in September.<\/p>\n
Intelligence cooperation with Jakarta has led to numerous
\nother arrests in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the
\nPhilippines.<\/p>\n
There are inevitable complications in working with Jakarta.
\nNot only is Indonesia the world's most populous Muslim nation,
\nbut its more than 17,000 islands serve as a center for recruiting
\nand training jihadists. In combating radical Islam, officials
\nhave to be cautious to avoid a major public backlash. The
\nmilitary, which is overwhelmingly secular, is the most
\nsignificant barrier preventing the nation from becoming an
\nIslamic state.<\/p>\n
During the holy month of Ramadhan, there was popular
\nresistance to soldiers passing out mug shots of terrorists in
\nmosques. That the military risks offending Muslim leaders by
\ninvestigating mosques reveals Jakarta's seriousness in the war on
\nterror. In Indonesia, the intelligence services are run by the
\nmilitary. Even civilian intelligence agencies are dominated by
\nmilitary officers and retired soldiers. Jakarta has made
\nsignificant progress in cracking down on al-Qaeda operations in
\nSoutheast Asia. Isolating the Indonesian armed forces puts this
\ninvaluable cooperation at risk.<\/p>\n
-- The Washington Times<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/working-with-indonesia-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }