TEMPO.CO, Lamongan - Former militant, Ali Fauzi, said that Santoso's supporters are still around in Poso, Central, and in good number. It is evident that Santoso's funeral in Lando Jaya Village, Poso, was attended by a lot of people.
”The state will have to avoid bad blood with Santoso's family, so that there will not be retaliation," Ali told Tempo on Monday, July 26, 2016.
He underlined that the government needs to maintain good relations, such as performing discussions and sending out peace messages. This is in a bid to release tension in Poso.
Ali claimed that he knows Santoso, back when they were in Afghanistan. “I often advised them to abandon their radical practice," he said.
Santoso and his deputy Mukhtar were shot dead in a shootout with the Tinombala Taskforce on July 18, 2016. The taskforce are still hunting 19 other people, believed to be parts of Santoso's splinter cell.
SUJATMIKO
