T

he Indonesian Military (TNI) has rolled out its plan to use the restive region of Poso in Central Sulawesi as the training ground for its quick reaction strike force (PPRC).

The PPRC has the ability to carry out combat operations anywhere in the country as it is designed for deployment at a moment'€™s notice.

Members of the unit come from the Army, Navy and Air Force and they are all trained to carry out the primary objective of destroying an enemy.

'€œIn Poso, we found several security problems that should be addressed by our friends in the police force. And it is a coincidence that we will train our PPRC personnel in Poso,'€ Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Moeldoko said at the TNI headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta.

The military unit can be deployed on order from the President to handle threats of terrorism, both domestic and international.

Moeldoko said Poso had been selected mainly because it was a hotbed for terrorism.

'€œPoso is an area where the radical group felt comfortable,'€ he said.

The TNI chief said the planned training in Poso was also designed to deter terror groups from running their operations.

Counterterrorism operations have been staged in Poso for the past 14 years, with no significant results.

It has been reported that Santoso, one of the most wanted terrorists in Indonesia, is currently in Poso and members of his terror group frequently launched terror attacks in the area.

The police have yet to arrest members of the Santoso group, which has been operating in the region for the last four years.

The military is currently joining the police in conducting anti-terror operations in the area.

'€œWe support the police by deploying intelligence personnel,'€ Moeldoko said.

Meanwhile, TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Fuad Basya said the presence of military personnel in Poso, especially members of the PPRC, could be used as backup in case the police failed to handle terrorism problems in the area.

'€œIf Poso cannot be handled by the police, it is possible for the military to take control of the fight against terrorist groups there,'€ Fuad said.

Fuad declined to give details on how many personnel under the PPRC would be deployed to join the war on terrorism in Poso.

Earlier, Fuad told The Jakarta Post that the military was waiting for President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo'€™s instruction to start its operation in Poso.

'€œCurrently, the police are conducting a security operation in Poso and the TNI is supporting by deploying intelligence personnel. The police operation will end on March 26,'€ Fuad said.

He suggested that the order for the TNI to join the war on terror could be issued in March.

Poso was rocked by a sectarian conflict between Muslims and Christians from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s.

Thousands of Christians and Muslims became the victims of the conflict. Although the conflict officially ended with the signing of the Malino Accords in 2001 and 2002, the region remains a hot spot for terrorism.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has reportedly set a deadline for the conflict in Poso to be resolved in three years, assuming that the Defense Ministry and the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister could work well together.