Ex-Terrorist Group Leader: Taliban Victory Won't Trigger Terrorism in Indonesia

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former leader of terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), Abu Tholut, viewed Taliban victory in Afghanistan would not trigger the rise of terorism in Indonesia.

“We don't have to worry about the victory of Taliban; whether it wil rise the acts of terrorism in Indonesia,” said Abu Tholut in a discussion held by University of Indonesia's School of Strategic and Global Studies on Saturday, August 21.

Abu Tholut said there is no empirical evidence that a victory of a movement abroad triggers domestic terrorism acts. For example, the victory of Iranian Revolution figure, Ayatollah Khomeini, in 1979, sparked euphoria in many countries including Indonesia, but not including acts of terrorism.

Second, he went on, the victory of Mujahidin movement in Afghanistan in 1992 also did not affect Indonesia at all. Only in 1999, or seven years later, a conflict in Ambon triggered the Christmas bombing. 

According to Abu Tholut, the acts of terrorism emerged when the United States and NATO entered Afghanistan in 2001. “Victories did not trigger any act of terrorism but the news on defeat, injustice, sad news did," he said.

Those news, said Abu, sparked empathy, and then quick-tempered people will create negative acts. Therefore, the former member of Afghanistan Foreign Fighters asserted that Taliban's victory did not significantly correlated in increasing acts of terrorism.

“Especially since Taliban has signed the Doha Agreement. What matters the most is that Afghanistan would not be used to do activities that harm other countries,” Abu Tholut remarked.

Read: BNPT Watchful for Groups Rallying Sympathy for Taliban

Friski Riana