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Govt still confirming dead body is Santoso
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Leader of East Indonesia Mujahidin terrorist group Santoso, aka Abu Wardah (right, wearing a cap), holds a rifle with his confidant Basri aka Bagong in this undated photo received by the Tinombala Operation Task Force. Santoso has reportedly grown frustrated as an intensive manhunt conducted by a joint military and police task force has cornered his group. (thejakartapost.com/Tinombala Operation Task Force)
T
he government is currently confirming whether one of two people killed in a firefight in Tambarana Village, Poso, Central Sulawesi, is Indonesia’s most-wanted terrorist, Santoso, an official said on Monday.
Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Luhut B. Pandjaitan confirmed that two terrorists shot death at around 5:30 p.m. on Monday were members of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT). However, he could not yet confirm whether one of the dead men, who has a similar physical appearances to Santoso, was indeed the MIT leader.
"It's possible, but we're still confirming the news. The features are similar [to Santoso’s], but we still cannot confirm it," Luhut said on Monday.
A source from the field said that during an exchange of fire with two women and three men, members of the Tinombala taskforce’s Alpha 29 team shot dead two terrorists, one of which had long hair, a mole on his face, and a long beard, features that match Santoso’s.
Officials are now recovering the dead bodies for confirmation, Luhut said, adding that he could only confirm the information later tonight. (dan)
