New Wave of Militants in Solo Biding Their Time
ICC Note:
New information is coming out of Indonesia alleging that hundreds of Islamic militants are gathered in the Solo area on the island of Sulawesi. The island was the scene of massive anti-Christian violence a little over ten years ago that left thousands of Christians dead and thousands more displaced from their homes. The following article doesn’t specifically mention the huge threat that these militants may pose to the Christians in the area, but the suicide bomb attack last year against a church and a small bomb blast outside another church on Tuesday are a clear indication that Christians will be the first targets of these militants.
By Zubaidah Nazeer
10/11/2012 Indonesia (Jakarta Globe)- Even as Indonesia stepped up security throughout the archipelago in the decade since the Bali blasts, a new wave of militants is regrouping in the teeming city of Solo and biding its time.
Radicals in Solo estimate that as many as 200 of them are prepared to take on suicide missions and up to 3,000 others consider themselves part of an army to fight in the name of religion. Their estimates underscore the continuing threat of terrorist attacks.
“There are about 200 pengantins [a term suicide bombers associate themselves] and about 3,000 ready… to fight… all based in and around Solo, doing small-time business while waiting to act,” said Rudy (not his real name), 33, an odd-job worker who has fought in sectarian conflicts in Ambon and Poso, Central Sulawesi.
Analysts say there is no way of telling if this estimate is accurate.
Solo gained notoriety after most of the Bali bombers were linked to the city. Since then, young radicals and aspiring terrorists have flocked to the city considered the birthplace of the Islamic resurgence in Indonesia.
It is here, on the outskirts of Solo, that jailed cleric Abu Bakar Bashir founded the Islamic boarding school Pondok Ngruki, described by the chief of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) Ansyaad Mbai as the “center of gravity” for aspiring militants.
While the Jemaah Islamyiah (JI) has been crippled, Bashir’s ideology lives on through other groups such as Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid. Last month, at least three former students of Pondok Ngruki were shot or caught for being terrorist suspects.
The school, which is still operating, has said it does not teach radical literature. “Though cells are scattered now, Solo is where most brothers come to gather and exchange views,” said Rudy. “They consider it a spiritual center, given its long history of being home to groups that want to establish an Islamic state, and it is where their emirs had spread their teachings.”
The emirs he was referring to are Bashir and another founder of Pondok Ngruki, Abdullah Sungkar. Their students included executed Bali bombers Amrozi and Mukhlas. Sungkar died in 1999, while Bashir is serving a 15-year jail term for funding a paramilitary camp in Aceh.
The continued draw of Solo for aspiring militants can be traced back to its violent past.
Before Indonesia’s independence, Islamic leaders set up militant groups to fight colonizers and establish an Islamic state.
Researcher Irfan Abubakar of the Center for Religious and Cultural Studies said two out of every 10 mosques in Solo had close affiliations with extremist groups.
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