Moeldoko: It's Not Easy To Hunt Terrorist Groups Like MIT, The Terrain Is Mountainous

Moeldoko (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko admitted that pursuing terrorist groups such as the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) was not easy. This assessment is based on Moeldoko's reading of hunting locations in forest areas.

"If we describe it here, maybe how hard it is that it can't be repaired. But if you look at the terrain over there where the mountains are multi-layered, like that, it is not easy," Moeldoko told reporters, Tuesday, December 1.

Moeldoko said the location of the hunting was quite dense forest. The people who live there are also quite far apart. Therefore Moeldoko said it was not easy to maintain a sense of security for residents when the government tracked down the group.

"He (the MIT group) can mingle with the community. He has fast maneuvers, because he already knows that their own area of operation is also one of the difficulties faced by the troops who are deployed there," said Moeldoko.

This is what underlies the government to field further collaboration in the Tinombala Task Force. "I invited the Commander to discuss about future steps tactically and yesterday a special force had been prepared there," he said.

As previously reported, the arrival of the TNI special forces to hunt down the MIT Poso group that was suspected of committing heinous acts of violence against residents in Lembantongo, Palolo District, Sigi Regency, Friday, November 29 caused four casualties and several residents' houses were burned by the suspected perpetrator of the DPO MIT Poso group. .

Commander of Korem 132 / Tadulako, Brigadier General TNI Farid Makruf said the arrival of this elite TNI team was to make the pursuit, search and suppression of armed gangs that spread terror and often act outside the boundaries of humanity towards their victims against residents in Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi.

"The troops that came consisted of Kostrad and Marines who had intelligence and combat expertise," said Makruf.

In general, they have qualifications in the fields of counterterrorism, infiltration and destruction behind opposing lines, intelligence and counterintelligence, urban and guerrilla warfare, raising, and others.

These gangs are known to employ forest guerrilla tactics and drag on, so this must be dealt with by military forces that have the qualifications of counter-guerrilla forests and intelligence.

Makruf said the TNI special forces would also strengthen the strength of the Tinombala Task Force which had been established so far.

"Gaining greater strength with the arrival of these special forces and the arrival of these troops is very meaningful to be able to quickly find hiding points and chase against the MIT Poso group led by Ali Kalora," he said.

Makruf said that the Tinombala Task Force was currently tracking and hunting down the DPO MIT Poso, whose presence is suspected of being in the Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi.

"But it is possible to have moved to other areas and we are looking for them," he said.