TNI Commander Raises Operation Status In Papua To Combat Alert

Admiral Yudo Margono/PHOTO: Nailin In Saroh-VOI

JAKARTA - TNI Commander Admiral Yudo Margono raised his operating status in Nduga, Papua Mountains became a combat alert. According to him, an increase in operating status needs to be done because attacks by armed criminal groups (KKB) have left 1 soldier dead, 4 injured and 4 others missing. Yudo also compared the status of operations carried out in the Natuna Sea. The increase in the status of this operation, he said, was also to increase the fighting instincts of soldiers. "In the TNI, in Natuna there is a marine combat alert operation, if there is a ground combat alert here, so we will face an attack that happened on April 15, we will increase it to combat alert," Yudo said in a virtual press conference, Tuesday, April 18. "So far, we have been operating territorially, we are still carrying out it, but when we face it like this, it is a combat alert. This means that it is increased from a soft approach to a combat alert operation. For what reason, our troops will build their combat instincts," he added. Yudo emphasized that this operation was an law enforcement operation. However, due to the KKB's condition, the soft approach or humanist way in Papua was changed to a combat alert operation. Even so, said Yudo, humanist operations are still carried out for all Papuans to maintain security when carrying out their daily activities. "I explained that the humanist operation was not for the KKB. That is for all Papuans in the area of operation. But if the KKB makes a shootout, we are humane," said Yudo.

Commander Yudo also said that his party did not add troops to be sent to Papua. It's just that there is a rotation of troops where troops who have served in Papua for a long time are withdrawn and replaced with new personnel. "What is there is a rotation force, the troops on duty at this time will be withdrawn and we will rotate, including Cartenz, which we rotated yesterday. Then those who served for 1 year from Medan, Palembang, Central Kalimantan, Makassar, Surabaya were the same. we rotated but yesterday it was in an area that was not vulnerable," he concluded.