T

he Central Sulawesi Police have deployed at least 1,000 personnel in a new operation called Operation Camar Maleo 2015 hunting the Santoso and Daeng Koro-led terrorist group in Poso, Central Sulawesi, set to last 60 days.

Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Hari Suprapto said the personnel were divided into a number of task forces and would support activities in the five police precincts of Poso, Parigi Moutong, Morowali, Tojo Una-Una and Sigi until March 26.

'€œThe deployment of such a large number of personnel is necessary because terrorist acts in Poso for the last three years have continued to increase, targeting both civilians and police officers,'€ Hari said.

The operation, according to Hari, is focused on catching 20 persons on the most-wanted list (DPO), who have been involved in terrorism and armed-violence cases in Poso, based on the investigation results of the Aman Maleo III operation in 2014.

Hari said that a number of activities would be conducted during Operation Camar Maleo 2015 including highway checks, examining every vehicle and passenger passing through checkpoints and raids on the homes of suspects. '€œWe ask people to carry their identity cards when traveling,'€ Hari said.

Operations against terrorism in Poso have been launched for the past 14 years, but no significant results have been achieved. The police have yet to tackle the Santoso-led gang that has been operating in the region for the last four years.

Last month, 300 police and Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel were deployed to search for the gang, who have been involved in a number of kidnaps and murders, in mountainous and forested areas of Poso.

Earlier this week, a detachment of around 600 personnel from the police'€™s Mobile Brigade (Brimob) from Kelapa Dua, Jakarta, was deployed to Poso to help in the hunt as violence escalated.

Five civilians were reportedly killed by the armed group in the past month. Members of the gang have also begun coming down from the mountains to enter villages to steal food.

They were involved in a gun-battle with a joint police-military patrol in Tangkura subdistrict, South Poso Pesisir, earlier this week.

Separately, the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) chairman, Abdul Haris Semendawai, has urged the authorities to bring to a swift end the reign of terror in Poso. '€œPeople are afraid. It disrupts their work and daily activities,'€ Abdul said as quoted by Antara news agency.

From the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, Poso was the scene of a sectarian conflict between Muslims and Christians that claimed thousands of victims on both sides. Although the conflict officially ended with the signing of the Malino Accords in 2001 and 2002, the region remains a hotbed of terrorism.

The police suspect that the Santoso group has been communicating and receiving support from the Islamic State (IS) movement.

The Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister said in December that intelligence authorities had detected the rise of the IS in Poso, especially in the areas of mountainous districts, with at least 110 foreigners identified as IS members in the area.