TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) has detected the movements of the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) fighters from Indonesia to the Philippines through the former’s north borders. The police and National Armed Forces (TNI) are now handling the exit route, according to the BNPT spokesman Irfan Idris.
"The routes are being used often, including by sympathizers of south Philippine pirate group Abu Sayyaf," Irfan told Tempo in a phone interview yesterday.
Irfan said President Joko Widodo has instructed counterterrorism-related agencies to cooperate on tightening the borders. Without giving further details, the spokesman said the common routes used by ISIS fighters are the borders between Kalimantan and Malaysia and Sulawesi and the Philippines.
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Tempo observes that authorities have tightened land and sea borders in Kalimantan dan Sulawesi. Monitoring has been intensified following the reports that the Maute group had attacked and control Marawi City in the Philippines on May 23. The Philippine police had released the identity of seven Indonesians fighters allegedly joining ISIS and were involved in the attack.
Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu on Monday said that there were currently around 1,200 ISIS in the Philippines, 40 of whom are Indonesians.
Nasir Abbas, a former foreign fighter in Saddah camp, Afganistan and Mindanao, the Philippines, said that the borders in north Kalimantan and Sulawesi are the most ideal routes for foreign fighters to leave and enter Indonesia. People pass through the routes to reach south Philippine cheaply and quickly. It will be difficult to detect foreign fighters due to high mobility of locals who move from Indonesia to Malaysia or the Philippines.
"The Sangir and Bugis people still have families or businesses matters in the Philippines. Two tribes in Sabah, Malaysia, are also relatives of the tribe in south Philippine," Nasir said. "So, legal movement through the route is commonplace."
The National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto said that the police have detected ISIS sympathizers who try to recruit youngsters to be sent to the Philippines. Therefore, the counterterrorism unit Special Detachment 88 (Densus) and the BNPT continue to study and tackle the movements. The police will also prosecute the perpetrators. "...those who crossed [the sea] to support ISIS will be charged under the Immigration Law and may lost their nationality," Setyo said.
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