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Soldier mistaken for MIT militant shot dead by police
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Soldiers prepare to continue Operation Tinombala in Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, on April 6. (thejakartapost.com/Ruslan Sangadji)
A
n Indonesian Military (TNI) member in Poso, Central Sulawesi, was shot dead on Wednesday by a police officer who mistook him for a member of the terrorist organization known as the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT).
The soldier has been identified as Second Sgt. Muhammad Ilman, an intelligence officer from the 132/Tadulako Military Command.
Tadulako Military Commander Col. Inf. M. Saleh Mustafa confirmed the incident to The Jakarta Post, but declined to provide more information. An investigation into the incident is under way, he said, adding that TNI members should not be provoked by the accidental death.
The military and the National Police have joined forces to hunt down Islamic State-linked MIT militants in Poso in a massive counterterrorism operation. The operation, named Operation Tinombala, involves more than 2,000 personnel.
Earlier this month, the two forces celebrated the killing of MIT leader Santoso after months of guerilla warfare and believed that his demise would demoralize and weaken the remaining MIT militants still hiding deep in the mountainous area of Poso.
While many praise the ongoing cooperation involving the two forces in routing MIT militants, tension has often erupted between the two institutions, with members of the police and the military involved in deadly clashes in the past. (ary)
