TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - TNI Commander said that as many as 16 locations in Indonesia are indicated to be bases of the Islamic State (IS) sleeper cells, waiting to launch attacks.
“It’s just a matter of time,” Indonesian military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo said at the Senayan Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Thursday, June 15, 2017.
Read: ISIS Calls for Ramadan Jihad against US Iraq Other Nations
According to him, the potential risk of IS building its strength in Indonesia will be higher if the entrance gates from Marawi, the Philippines, are not closed. Gatot revealed that the TNI has conducted patrols and closed channels to islands close to borders, such as Marore Island and Mianggas Island.
Read: Defense Minister: There Are 1200 ISIS Militias In Philippines
“We closed the escape route to Tarakan and Bitung via Marore, Mianggas, Tahuna and Talaud. We also closed the route to North Maluku,” he added.
The TNI Commander explained that his institution has also deployed submarines to keep the IS at bay.
Read: SE Asia Trilateral Cooperation Evolved to Counter Marawi Crisis
Gatot said that he had issued a warning saying that the IS was building a base in Southeast Asia and South Philippine. He expressed gratitude that the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was willing to put aside human rights issues to protect citizens from terror attacks.
Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said that the Indonesian government will meet the Malaysian and Philippine Defense Ministers on June 19, in Tarakan, North Kalimantan, to discuss measures to prevent the IS from entering Southeast Asia.
AHMAD FAIZ