TNI Commander: Crackdown On Papuan KKB Will Last Long Term

Illustration- Aminggaru Ilaga Airport activity, Puncak Regency, Papua, before the burning of facilities by KKB, Thursday (3/6). (ANTARA/HO/UPBU Ilaga)

PALU - The Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, General TNI Andika Perkasa, said that the process of cracking down on armed criminal groups (KKB) in Papua would take a long time.

"Our position is the same as in Central Sulawesi through the pattern of unit operations, which normally are law enforcement operations, in collaboration with the National Police and other agencies," Andika said after reviewing the Madago Raya Task Force skotis post in Poso, as reported by Antara, Friday, May 13.

He explained that one of the effects of the long-term KKB crackdown operation is the control of the dominant terrain by the KKB groups.

The involvement of the TNI itself in the operation was devoted to security and was quite limited in nature so that it really acted by paying attention to operational signs so as not to cause new problems.

"We maintain the operating pattern in accordance with the existing signs, to ensure that there are no new problems or even bigger problems," said Andika.

According to him, there are two striking similarities between the special operations against the eastern Indonesian mujahidin (MIT) in Poso and the special operations in Papua, namely the terrain which is fairly difficult.

"There are quite a lot of variables, and the challenges are different. In Papua and Poso, it's only the field of operation that is difficult," said Andika.