Military Approach Risks Making Terrorists More Militant

JAKARTA - Former terrorism prisoner (napiter), Haris Amir Falah, revealed that handling terrorism is not enough to rely on strength, but must be based on justice, humanism, and solid legitimacy.

According to him, the involvement of any element in counter-terrorism is legitimate, as long as it does not abandon the basic principles of the rule of law. However, he reminded that an approach that is too dominant in a military sense is at risk of being counterproductive.

"If the approach is very military, this can actually make them (terrorists) more militant. Because they are considered enemies who must be fought equally," said Haris in a written statement, Sunday, February 15.

He explained, in the doctrine of terrorist groups there is a principle of comparable resistance. If faced with arguments and thoughts, then the response is also at the same level. But if it is answered with physical strength and weapons, the reaction that arises can increase to an open confrontation.

He assessed that the handling of terrorism that has been carried out by the National Police through Densus 88 with the support of the National Counterterrorism Agency in the aspects of prevention and deradicalization is still effective. Therefore, if the purely military approach dominates, there will be concerns that the legal proof and ideological control aspects can be marginalized.

Haris emphasized that the handling of terrorism must be holistic and collaborative. All elements can be involved, but policy control is still ideally in institutions designed for law enforcement. "As long as the roles of Densus 88 and BNPT are optimized, there is no need for overlapping authorities that trigger sectoral egos between agencies. The important thing is to be integrated and coordinated. Don't let it even fight for roles," he added.