Fighting Against Terrorism: A Long Journey

Indonesian police on Tuesday (15/08) arrested five suspected Islamist militants and seized chemicals near the capital, Jakarta, that they said were being used to make bombs for attacks on the presidential palace at the end of August.
 
Two of the five, a husband and wife, had been deported from Hong Kong for allegedly spreading radical ideology and the group had studied bomb-making techniques through a website run by an Indonesian believed to be fighting with Islamic State in Syria, police said.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, has seen a series of small-scale attacks inspired by Islamic State, but most have been amateurishly planned and executed, using basic homemade weapons that have caused few deaths and minimal damage.
Police have been concerned about suspected militants getting more sophisticated after twin pressure cooker bombs killed three police at a Jakarta bus station in May.

"This is perhaps the first time such a method has been used in West Java, involving very dangerous chemicals," said provincial police spokesman Yusri Yunus, adding that several stores had declined to sell the chemicals to the suspects. Yusri did not elaborate on the chemicals or the plan to attack the presidential palace. West Java is just to the east of Jakarta.
 
Counter-terrorism police who found the chemicals in a raid on a house in Bandung, 120 km southeast of Jakarta, said they experienced a burning sensation and redness on their skin when they entered the house.

Previously, on August 2nd, 2017 in Bogor district, West Java, security apparatus had cought one of high school student who has been had ISIS flag and shite deviation book.

Later, on August 5th, 2017 at Mataram Traffic Police Office in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara  had been taken a terror threat through some of a bomb materials found such as paralon pipe which was contained gun powder, alarm clock, A3 alarm clock battery, 9 volt battery powered battery, red and white connecting cable with a length of about 15 cm, nails about 1/2 Kg of 109 pieces, and 20 marbles and its ready to blow. However, those facts has shown that a potential terror attacks in Indonesia could be happened and attacked randomly anytime, anyplaces and anywhere.

A Long Journey
    
However, terrorism threat in Indonesia has existed with the current indication is an intensive close meeting and terrorist cadre training has been done in several regions and provinces in Indonesia. Being admited or not, terror threat has always ready in Indonesia and because of that every national stakeholders in Indonesia must be anticipated early and shortly.
    
Awakening terror group in Indonesia has been trigerred from several factors such as the return of foreign fighters from Suriah and Iraq, spreading terror guide at several radical website and messanger tools in social media and those condition can be shown through lone-wolves or a single terror actor whom was radicalized himself or herself.

According to the National Police chief, Tito Karnavian, PhD, returning the foreign fighters from Suriah and  Iraq to Indonesia after Islamic State had been defeated by an international military coalition led by US in Suriah must have allegedly as a terror suspect because any possibilities if they have combat experiences and tactical military attacks experiences as long as they had been gone to the battle in Iraq and Suriah.

Meanwhile, referring to an explanation from Solahuddin, expertist at Social Conflict and Terrorism Assessment at the University of Indonesia (UI) several provinces such as West Java, East Java, Central Java, West Kalimantan, Aceh, Lampung and South Sulawesi had recorded as a terror cadre base recruitmen before the independence of Indonesia era with indication the existance of DI/TII and NII (Indonesia Islamic Country) in West Java and then spreaded to several provinces such as East and Central Java, Aceh, West Kalimantan, Lampung and South Sulawesi.

Essentially, fighting terrorism ideology and their threat are a long journey because it doesn't easy way and softway to cope and to defeat a terror threat. Meantime, in Indonesia being admitted or not, an intolerance, violences and unjustice didn't take well and ramdomly it can happen whereever eventhough its triger by un-reasonable factors.

However, whatever had been out spoken by President Jokowi could be true. President Jokowi has reminded all of Indonesian people that the existence of a terror groups is one of deadly threat because they could be cooperated with drug cartel or drug supplier in Indonesia.

Finally, fighting against terrorism has been taking through an education specially about tolerance and multicultural spirit, nationalism spirit and constructive religious teaching and last but not least anti-terror propaganda dan braveness against terror must be spreading annually and intensively at social media and mainstream media. Hopefully.

*) The author earned his master at the University of Indonesia (UI).