TNI plans to restructure troop deployment in Aceh
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Banda Aceh
Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto announced on Friday a plan to restructure troop deployment in the offensive against rebels in Aceh in a bid to speed up security restoration there and capture the separatist group leaders.
Under the new approach Endriartono said the government troops would bring peace to the province in the remaining four months, so that people there could take part in next year's legislative and presidential elections.
"Enabling the Acehnese people to participate in the elections was not our original target, but now we are pursuing it," Endriartono told a media conference held to assess the progress of the integrated operation in Aceh, which includes a major offensive to quash the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels.
He said intelligence reports confirmed that all GAM top leaders were still in Aceh.
There are 34,000 military troops in the province now, the largest deployment ever in the nation's history.
Endriartono said under the new structure, the troops would be divided into smaller groups who would mingle with people to maintain security and intensify the search for the GAM leaders.
The soldiers would regroup under several sectors who will be led by a colonel, who will oversee some sub-sectors that will fall under a lieutenant colonel's supervision, he added.
"Our goal is to make the deployment of the troops more effective in which a commander has a smaller territorial responsibility to enable them to search for and capture rebel leaders," Endriartono said.
The TNI Headquarters will form a team of intelligence analysts who will help the military operation commander in Aceh Maj. Gen. Bambang Darmono make decisions regarding the offensive.
In Banda Aceh, the martial law administrator announced on Friday plans to intensify joint military and police patrols aimed at restricting the movement of rebels
Spokesman for the administrator Col. Ditya Soedarsono said the patrols would be conducted in public places to keep the insurgents from the cities across the province.
"It must be understood that our officers may behave quite aggressively in the eyes of the public, but they are basically friendly and courteous personnel," Ditya said, responding to the anxiety and inconvenience people may have to face due to the security checks.
He said the tough measures were in everyone's best interests.
As of Friday the military had arrested 488 rebels, 207 of them have been named suspects who will face treason charges. The provincial prosecutors' office have begun a formal investigation into 171 of them, with 77 already indicted.
There were two armed clashes involving the government troops and the rebels in the North Aceh district of Syamtalira and the Tamiang district of Seuruway on Friday. Two separatists were killed in the skirmishes, bringing the death toll of rebels to 521 since the major offensive against GAM members began on May 19.
A total of 248 rifles have been confiscated from the rebels.
The martial law administrator recorded 28 deaths on the military side and five police killed after 68 days of operation.
Civilians casualties increased as two Acehnese children were killed in a grenade blast as they played beside their home, police said on Friday.
Cut Wahyuni, 12, and her sister Cut Irma, aged three, died on Thursday when a grenade exploded about eight meters from a police post at Ulim in Pidie district.
Their brother Syahrizal, aged seven, was injured and underwent surgery on Friday morning at Zainul Abidin hospital in the provincial capital Banda Aceh.
Pidie Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Salim said GAM had attacked the police post last month and perhaps the grenade was launched at that time.
A woman, Nuraini, has been detained for questioning by police in connection with the attack. Agus said witnesses saw the woman visited the siblings' house a few moments before the blast.