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Police chief urges MIT members to surrender
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Stand firm — National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian (left) and National Police Education Institution head Comr. Gen. Syafruddin attend a hearing at the House of Representatives Commission III on Sept. 5. (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari)
N
ational Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian has called on members of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terrorist group — formerly led by Santoso, aka Abu Wardah, who was killed in a shootout in Poso, Central Sulawesi, in July — to leave their hideouts and surrender.
“We hope they can leave their strongholds just like Basri. For what are they carrying out activities harmful both to themselves and society?” he said as quoted by Antara news agency on the sidelines of the inauguration of a facility at Said Sukanto Police Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, on Tuesday.
Tito was referring to the group’s second-in-command Basri, alias Bagong.
On Monday morning, Operation Tinombala task force personnel and MIT members shot at one another in Tombua plantation areas in Tangkura village, South Poso Pesisir, Central Sulawesi. A terror suspect identified as Adji Pandu Suwotomo, alias Sobron, died in the incident. He previously managed to escape when Tinombala personnel arrested Basri and his wife Nurmi Usman, alias Oma, in a raid on Sept. 14.
Tito said Operation Tinombala would continue to pursue Poso terror suspects for the next one-and-a-half months.
Operation Tinombala task force commander Brig. Gen. Rudy Sufahriadi previously said that only 11 MIT members remained at large. (liz/ebf)
