T

he New Year'€™s Eve standoff between members of the National Police'€™s Densus 88 counterterrorism unit and six terror suspects in Ciputat, South Tangerang, resulting in the killing of the six after a shoot-out, has produced a mixed public reaction.

While the squad'€™s efforts to fight terrorism should be praised, the timing was inconvenient as the nation was merrily welcoming a new year.

The gun battle started at 8 p.m. on Tuesday after officers of Densus 88 attempted to arrest a suspect, Daeng, in front of his rented house in Kampung Sawah, Ciputat. The attempted arrest followed a tip-off from Anton alias Septi, a suspected terrorist who had been detained in Banyumas, Central Java, earlier in the day.

After gunning down Daeng, Densus 88 called on the remaining suspects hiding inside the house to surrender. The suspects responded by opening fire on the officers, prompting a firefight.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said the six terror suspects were responsible for a string of deadly shootings that targeted police officers and the bombing of a Buddhist temple ahead of Idul Fitri last year.

Based on the evidence collected at the rented house, it could be concluded that the suspects had intended to launch attacks on Buddhist temples in Jakarta in revenge for recent violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

The confiscated Rp 200 million (US$16,400) stored in three bags was believed to be part of the Rp 300 million the group might have stolen from a Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) branch in Panongan, Tangerang, on Dec. 24, 2013.

That the suspects chose to take on Densus 88 in a shoot-out is evidence that terrorist threats are imminent and real. The fact that the suspects had learned how to assemble bombs with another group led by Badri Hartono, a self-proclaimed al-Qaeda Indonesia leader, is also glaring proof that the threat is serious because it also has international links.

Still, Densus 88 must answer questions in regard to its operations, which have for the umpteenth time been held in a crowded neighborhood and have ended with the killing of terror suspects. Operating in this way has so far left no room for verification on whether the squad had really killed terrorists or not.

The National Police headquarters should also provide transparency on the post-operation examination of the slain victims and whether their DNA matches with the bank data the police have, particularly on criminals and wrongdoers.

Focus on Densus 88'€™s '€œhard'€ approach in the form of operations against terror suspects should not disregard the '€œsoft'€ approach taken by the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) in combating the spread of radical thought and curbing the growth and movement of terrorist networks by means of its recently introduced '€œderadicalization blueprint'€ for terrorist inmates.

Another approach, which is fundamental, is to empower people economically, as financial hardship is a key driver of terrorism.