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Terrorist leader Santoso allegedly dead after Monday gunfight
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Ibadurrohman, alias Ibad or Amru from Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, a teenage member of the East Indonesia Mujahidin, is seen in this photo after he was arrested during an operation in Padalembara village, Poso Pesisir Selatan, on Friday. (Courtesy of the Operation Tinombala Task Force/Ruslan Sangadji)
T
inombala Operation task force personnel killed two members of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) during a gun fight in Tambarana village, in Poso, Sulawesi, on Monday evening.
One of the victims is allegedly the leader of the terror group, Santoso, who has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) movement in Syria and Iraq.
“One of the slain terrorists is supposedly Santoso, identified by the long beard and moles. The other body has yet to be identified,” said Central Sulawesi Police deputy chief Sr. Comr. Leo Bona Lubis, adding that a team has been dispatched to recover and identify the dead bodies.
He further explained that the gunfight erupted at 5 p.m and lasted for half an hour. Tinombala Operation task force’s Alfa 29 team ambushed the small MIT group, consisting of three male and two female fighters.
Knowing that two of their comrades had been killed, the two female fighters fled to the west part of the forest while the one surviving male fighter ran to the south. “Tinombala Operation personnel are now chasing them,” said Central Sulawesi Police spokesperson Ajun Sr. Com. Hari Suprapto.
He added that the recovery of the two bodies from the forest would likely be completed on Tuesday morning. The dead bodies will be taken to Police’s Bhayangkara hospital for autopsy and identification. (ags)
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Ruslan Sangadji in Palu contributed to this story.
