TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Less than a week after he was appointed National Police chief, Gen. Tito Karnavian received a special gift. Santoso, the top terrorist fugitive who has been the target of a manhunt for over a year and a half, was shot and killed in Poso, Central Sulawesi, last week.
However, Tito, who led the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), said that Santoso’s capture had been predicted. He said that a final assault on Santoso, mastermind of numerous terrorist acts in Poso was inevitable. "It was just a matter of time, he said.
But Tito stressed that Santoso's death did not mean an end to the fight against terrorists, given that the remaining followers of the group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are still roaming free. According to Tito, now was not the time to be lax in fighting terrorist networks. This is precisely the time to work hard to diminish their strength so that they cannot recruit new members or carry out more terrorist attacks.
Tito, accompanied by Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar, head of the police public information division, recently met with Tempo reporters Budi Setyarso, Sunudyantoro, Anton Aprianto, Abdul Manan, Ananda Teresia and Dewi Suci Rahayu at his office last week.
Why did it take so long to nab Santoso?
We responded to the terror committed by Santoso and his group by conducting a number of operations. It began with the Camar Maleo operation, followed by Operation Tinombala. The objective was to weaken the Santoso group, which was continuing to spread terror. Some of the public perceived the operations in Poso as attempt to pressure Muslim groups there. Don't get it backwards. They began committing acts of terror first, and only then did we respond by conducting operations.
But for many years?
When the police separated from the Armed Forces of the Republic of Indonesia (ABRI now the Indonesian Military or TNI) in 2000, a force that was initially a part of the military had to become a civilian police. The military elements in the police were reduced, which led to the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) being our paramilitary unit. The Brimob had jungle-fighting ability and was a part of the battle for national independence. It already possessed guerrilla skills to fight guerrillas hiding in the jungles and the mountains.
Do you mean that at present the police don't have a paramilitary unit capable of fighting in the jungles and mountains?
As of 2000, this anti-guerrilla capacity was reduced. Brimob focused more on urban warfare techniques such as search and rescue, mobile investigation work, defusing explosives and counterterrorism capacity. We demonstrated these capabilities when we nabbed Dr. Azahari and Noor Din M. Top, and when we dealt with terrorist attacks in Poso from 2005 to 2007. We are capable of operating in the city. But the situation changed, and the Santoso terrorist group began operating in the jungles and mountains. For us, the fastest and most effective method way to put together a strong team was to work with the TNI, which trains such capacity.
What strategy was used in Operation Tinombala to put pressure on the Santoso group?
In the past, we had to respond to their attacks, which were varied. There was a resident from Bali, for instance, whose throat was slit. They would carry out an attack then disappeared into the woods. When we carried out Operation Tinombala with the TNI by isolating, surrounding and penetrating, they could not easily carry out attacks. The opposite happened. They were arrested one by one, even though Santoso remained untouched. In my experience when pursuing a suspect, hard work account for 40 percent (of the success). If you don't work hard, there only a five percent chance (of success). The rest is in God's hands. Many friends in Poso prayed, held religious study sessions where they recited Chapter 36 of the Qur'an and fasted.
Would you classify the Poso operation as a major one?
Yes. We saw that the actions of the Santoso group were highly unsettling to the public and endangered them.
How was the relationship between the National Police and the TNI during this operation?
It was smooth. It went very well. (*)
Read the full interview in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine