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Indonesia security forces kill ISIS-linked leader in shoot-out

This article is more than 12 months old

JAKARTA: Indonesian security forces have killed the leader of militant group East Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT), which has ties with Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, police said yesterday.

A joint operation by military and police personnel killed Ali Kalora in a shoot-out at a village on Sulawesi island on Saturday afternoon, police said.

Another militant, identified as Jaka Ramadhan, also known as Ikrima, was also shot dead, police said, adding that a hunt was underway for four other MIT members.

Explosives, an M16 rifle and two machetes were found, along with other evidence of militant activity, following the raid.

Kalora took over as MIT leader after security forces killed its previous head, Santoso, in 2016. The authorities believed MIT was behind the brutal murder of four villagers in central Sulawesi in November last year, although the group did not claim responsibility.

Its former leader Santoso was once the most wanted militant in Indonesia. He was one of the first militants in Indonesia to pledge allegiance to Islamic State.

Terrorism analyst Ridwan Habib with University of Indonesia said the Sulawesi-based MIT group was unlikely to survive its leader's death, although he suspected its members who are on the run would continue to fight security forces.

"Part of their ideology is seeking death because they believe death will take them to heaven. With their leader dead, they will seek death as well," he said. "I am not sure there will be a reestablishment (of MIT) or a new leader elected." - REUTERS

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