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n an effort to hone the nation’s counterterrorism efforts, the government has found itself at a crossroads over what institution to appoint to be in command of the security agencies involved in a mission.

As the government and the House of Representatives have agreed to grant a greater role to the Indonesian Military (TNI) to run operations and arrest terrorist suspects, the leading part in counterterrorism will be given to the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), which has all along dealt with deradicalization initiatives.

The plan, outlined in the bill to revise the Terrorism Law, would upgrade the status of the BNPT from a state agency to a ministerial level institution to take over command from the National Police.

The BNPT’s leading role is meant to prevent any clashes between forces while they are engaging in any mission to fight terrorists.

While many praised the success of Operation Tinombala, a joint mission of the police and the TNI that resulted in the killing of leader Santoso, the country’s most wanted terrorist, there have been concerns that the two institutions would fight over which would be in command.

“What the BNPT could do is only give input about carrying out any arrests if it sees any potential threats. It should not be able to have authority to execute any operational decisions because that could create overlapping authority,” Al Araf, the executive director of human rights group Imparsial, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

He suggested that the government should stick to making the police the leading actors in counterterrorism, with occasional assistance from the TNI.

After months of debate over a plan to strengthen military involvement in counterterrorism measures, the House on Thursday approved six conditions under which soldiers could step in and arrest assailants.

The new role will go beyond what is mandated in the Indonesian Military Law, which only allows soldiers to assist counterterrorism operations under the command of the National Police.

If the proposal goes to the plenary session for passage in the next sitting next month, the TNI would be allowed to launch its own operations against terrorism attacks involving the president, vice president and their families, Indonesian citizens abroad, Indonesian embassies, Indonesian ships and airplanes and foreign ships and airplanes in the country’s territory. It will also allow the military to step in if a terrorist act extends beyond the country’s territory but threatens national sovereignty and security.

TNI spokesman Brig. Gen. Wuryanto said the TNI had welcomed the House plan and its counterterrorism division unit was ready to work under the command of the BNPT, should the agency be granted leadership.

“I think [counterterrorism] is better handled by a special body that is especially established for that particular purpose. It [the BNPT] would have better management when it comes to prevention and prosecution through handling a case holistically. I think it is a good plan and the TNI supports it,” he said.

The director of the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), Sidney Jones, said the most effective strategy for increasing the effectiveness of counterterrorism in Indonesia was to strengthen the intelligence unit of the police’s counterterrorism squad, Densus 88, leaving the BNPT to focus on its duty of preventing terrorism by better targeting people exposed to radicalism.

“I am not sure that raising the BNPT to the level of a ministry will make it more effective unless some of the rivalry and competition among the different security agencies can be overcome,” Jones told the Post.

Another terrorism expert from the University of Indonesia (UI), Ridwan Habib, said it was unnecessary to increase the status of the BNPT, but it was important to centralize the counterterrorism command at the BNPT for the sake of effectiveness.