Two-star general to head Aceh Kodam
Two-star general to head Aceh Kodam
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Iskandar Muda Military Command in Aceh will be given a top
classification and will be headed by a two-star general, director
general for defense strategy at the Ministry of Defense Maj. Gen.
Sudrajat said on Friday.
"We are classifying the military command in Aceh as a first-
class command because of various considerations, including real
threats coming from outside," Sudrajat told The Jakarta Post.
The Indonesian Military (TNI) uses various criteria in
determining the level of military command for any given region,
including the area's size. Compared with other regions, such as
Papua and Kalimantan, Aceh is the smallest military command
region.
The TNI has reportedly deployed some 12,000 troops to the
province.
"Military authorities have discussed the names of several army
generals who might be the commander and, thus far, Brig. Gen.
Djali Yusuf stands the best chance of getting the post," he said,
adding that the command would be officially inaugurated in
February and headquartered in Banda Aceh. No specific date was
given.
A native of Aceh, Djali is currently heading the ongoing
military operations against the armed wing of the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) in Banda Aceh, the capital of Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam province.
As the separatism movement gains more support from local
people, the administration of President Megawati Soekarnoputri is
now planning to reinstate the Iskandar Muda military command,
which was liquidated in 1984.
If the plan is implemented, Aceh would equal Jakarta, East
Java and Irian Jaya in terms of its strategic importance. The
three military commands cover one province each and are headed by
a two-star general.
Sudrajat said the government had agreed to make budgetary
allocations for the plan but refused to reveal the amount
earmarked, asserting that "the preparations for the plan are
almost complete and deployment of troops can be implemented
anytime now."
He said the current uncertain security situation in the
province following the killing of Abdullah Syafi'ie, the military
leader of the Free Aceh Movement -- was one of their
considerations in reviving the military command immediately.
Earlier on Friday, Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil and
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto held a meeting at
the Ministry to discuss preparations for the Aceh military
command.