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Indonesia: Jihadist leader killed in exchange of fire

Indonesian security forces kill leader of Eastern Mujahideen jihadist group Indonesia (MIT), which has ties to the Islamic State (IS), police announced today.

A joint operation by the army and law enforcement forces resulted in the death of Ali Kalora during an exchange of fire in a village in Kelevi on Saturday afternoon, according to a press release issued by the police.

Another jihadist, identified by police as Jaka Ramadan, also known as Ikrima, was shot dead by security forces while a manhunt was under way to locate four more MIT members.

Explosives were found and confiscated, an M16 assault rifle, two machetes and evidence of jihadist activity after the attack, according to police.

Ali Kalora took over the leadership of MIT when security forces killed Santoso, his predecessor, in 2016.

Authorities believe the group was behind the barbaric killing of four villagers in central Kelevi in ​​November 2020, although MIT has never claimed responsibility.

Sandoso has long been the most wanted jihadist in Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. He was one of the first jihadists in the archipelago to swear allegiance to the IK.

Ridwan Habib, a terrorism expert at the University of Indonesia, said Kelebi-based MIT may not survive the death of its leader. However, he added that some of its members who are fleeing will continue to act against the security forces.

“Part of their ideology is the pursuit of death, because they believe that death will lead them to paradise. “With their leader dead, they too will seek death,” the researcher told Reuters. “I’m not sure there will be a (MIT) reshuffle, or a new leader.”

Last month, police arrested 53 jihadists who allegedly planned to carry out an attack on the anniversary of the country’s independence.

The deadliest jihadist attack in Indonesia was recorded in Bali, a tourist magnet, in 2002, when bombers killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

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