Has international terrorism gone local?
By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat
JAKARTA (JP): Security officials here have partly blamed the recent wave of bomb attacks on what they claim is infiltration of Indonesia by foreign terrorist groups.
The extent of the threat may never be truly revealed, but the danger was real enough to prompt both the United States and Britain to take precautionary measures against possible attacks from "extremist elements".
Purported plans to bomb the U.S. Embassy, the American Club and Hotel Indonesia were also uncovered.
Police and intelligence officers claim these groups are linked to a network in the Middle East. Specifically, the Mujahideen are regarded as being the fountainhead of these groups.
Malaysians were among those allegedly employed to carry out the operations.
Authorities claim the Malaysians, including those identified as being responsible for two recent church bombings, and the one at the Atrium Plaza, are members of an organization called the Kumpulan Jihad, or Group for Holy War.
Indonesia is no stranger to international terrorist attacks. In 1986 the Japanese Red Army attacked the Canadian, Japanese and U.S. Embassies here.
But the specter of international terrorism gripping the country at a time when domestic violence remains unchecked is a daunting prospect.
The international connection was first made when police said suspects in last year's Christmas Eve bombings were trained and had fought in Afghanistan.
Unfortunately, little is known about the Afghanistan link which arose after some Indonesians joined the Mujahideen during the Soviet occupation of that country in the 1980s.
Since early last year there were already signals that international terrorist groups had established links with radical groups in Indonesia, helping to aggravate religious violence in the country.
Initially little credence was given to these reports, particularly the potential dangers to foreign facilities here.
U.S. Ambassador Robert Gelbard in August 2000 indicated these concerns when he, seemingly out of the blue, launched a stinging criticism of Indonesia's weak intelligence operations.
In an interview with the Washington Times he charged that the Indonesian authorities had failed to detect and stop terrorist networks penetrating the country.
He said Washington was "very concerned" about the "extremist groups", including those from abroad, implanting themselves in Indonesia.
"We believe that has begun." CIA Director George J. Tenet said in a statement before a U.S. Senate Committee in February this year, noting the rising specter of terrorist infiltration in a state wracked by economic chaos and political uncertainty.
"Some Southeast Asian leaders fear a power vacuum in Indonesia would create fertile ground for international terrorist groups and Islamic activists, drug trafficking and organized crime," he said.
But who is actually at work here? What is the alleged Mujahideen link?
The closest known organization that regularly carries out terrorist attacks in the region is the Abu Sayyaf group whose activities are centered on the southern Philippines.
It originally worked under the umbrella of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) until it split away in 1991/1992.
The MNLF has since negotiated a peace treaty with Manila which was brokered by Indonesia. But Abu Sayyaf remains defiant.
It is strongly believed that apart from local funding they also receive sponsorship from groups based in the Middle East.
Some of Abu Sayyaf's original members were veterans of the Afghanistan conflict and are believed to have nurtured ties with fellow veterans of the Mujahideen.
While Abu Sayyaf could extend moral and personal backing to activities here, it is unlikely, given their limited resources, that they would engage in wide-scale operations if they were not directed at Philippine facilities.
The most commonly suspected executors highlighted by the intelligence community here are terrorist operatives linked to the infamous Osama bin Laden.
Osama is a son of a Saudi Arabian construction magnate who claims that his father helped in the modern construction of the holy mosques in both Mekkah and Madinah, along with restoration of the Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem.
He first gained attention when he rushed to fight against the communist regime which invaded Afghanistan.
But he is most noted for his initiative in organizing the recruitment and training of international volunteers to fight with the Mujahideen.
This was the genesis of the transnational network which a decade later would serve him in his various activities.
He continued to use his inheritance, estimated at being between tens of millions and hundreds of millions of dollars, to finance the Al-Qaida group he established in the early 1990s.
The United States claims that as leader of the Al-Qaida organization, Osama is responsible for the Aug. 7, 1998, bomb attacks on U.S. Embassies in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam.
Washington has indicted Osama and other members of the group for terrorist crimes and claims he persists in waging "war" against the United States by way of terrorism.
U.S. government reports often point to Osama's 1998 fatwa (edict) dubbed "International Islamic Front for Jihad on the Jews and Crusaders" which allegedly states that "it is the duty of Muslims to prepare as much force as possible to terrorize the enemies of God."
"Enemies" in this case being the United States and its allies -- installations, servicemen and civilians alike.
Washington's attempts to apprehend Osama, now in his early 40s, have been in vain. He continues to live under the shield of the Taliban Movement in Afghanistan in defiance of a United Nations Resolution.
The organization he heads, Al-Qaida, is a sorority of rebel fighter alumnis who fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan.
Apart from waging war on the United States, the group under the banner of the World Islamic Front aspires to establish Muslim states around the world.
The list of alleged of terrorist crimes committed by Osama and his group are long as Washington strongly believes he is connected to most attacks on U.S. installations in recent years, including the death of U.S. soldiers in Somalia in 1993.
Al-Qaida also had close connections with the Egyptian Islamic Jihad group.
Al-Qaida's tentacles, using the network first established during the Afghan resistance movement, have spread to transnational destinations, including increasing activity in Southeast Asia.
The group is linked to attempts on the life of the Pope during his visit to Manila in 1994 along with attacks on U.S. embassies in Asian capitals.
As recently as 1998, an NBC news report claimed Osama had traveled to Malaysia and the Philippines.
In a chilling reminder of how terrorist groups may have gone to ground here, an intelligence officer said once operators sent to a country had infiltrated its borders they were usually hard to detect as their routine would be to remain as mundane as possible.
The key to the success of these missions lies in meticulous planning and surveillance. Patience is the operative word. Nothing is rushed or hastily executed.
There is a definitive separation between those who plan the operation and those who execute it with the two acting independently, with one often not knowing who the other is.
Thus, the authorities may be able to foil one attempt and round up the alleged perpetrators, but the operation as a whole could still remain intact and capable of mounting another attempt in the distant future.
After foreign operatives have infiltrated a country and selected targets, surveillance could take place for six months up to a year.
These foreign operatives usually recruit a small number of young locals to carry out the mission. Sometimes the perpetrators would be recruited from out of town (or abroad), arriving only weeks before the attack is to take place.
These executors themselves would know little about the depth of the operation or the existence of other cells also assigned to execute other parts of the operation.
Intelligence officers concede that in situations where the security infrastructure is in disarray, foreign agents often employ disgruntled or former servicemen looking for a quick payoff.
Foreign agents may also utilize the services of an already established network in the target country by exploiting small fanatical groups who are ideologically sympathetic to their cause, or those who had past associations with them.
Ideally these local groups should be inconspicuous, but as long as they are not on police wanted lists they will suffice as they are merely used for recruiting executors who will then work independently of the group.
During the execution, each cell is equipped to fulfill a specific task and will be triggered into operation upon certain conditions being fulfilled.
Impulsiveness is not a trait that is sought. Each cell is highly independent, but does not function autonomously.
The planning and bomb-making are almost always conducted in different locations.
Surprisingly, the cost of conducting such operations are not extreme. For example, American media reports claim that in the World Trade Center bombing in New York, the estimated total cost of the operation was less than US$25,000.
In closing, it should be noted that one man's "terrorist" could be another man's "freedom fighter."
Many Indonesians may even be sympathetic to the terrorists' cause.
However, when the means employed result in wanton destruction on Indonesian soil and put its people in peril, they are not something which can be tolerated. No matter how just the cause.
The author is a staff writer with The Jakarta Post.