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JAKARTA. The government has warned Indonesia's most-wanted terrorist Santoso and his militant group hiding in the forests of Poso, Central Sulawesi, to immediately surrender, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said.
The government will keep carrying out the joint police and Indonesian Military (TNI) Tinombala Operation in Poso if Santoso's East Indonesia Mujahidin terrorist group fails to comply with the warning.
"We hope Santoso and his group will immediately come down from the mountain and surrender, or else we will continue the offensive military operation until we eradicate them," Luhut said during a visit to Poso as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday.
During the visit, Luhut also stressed the importance of maximizing deradicalization measures for people living in the area, especially since Santoso and his group are living inside Poso forests and carrying out guerilla attacks against security officers.
Previously, Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Djanggola has also called on Santoso and his group to surrender as the local government is willing to facilitate the process.
Operation Tinombala has taken place since January, aiming to eradicate the terrorist group and its leader Santoso, aka Abu Wardah, who had publicly claimed to be the commander of the Islamic State (IS) army in Indonesia.
Initially scheduled to end on March 10, the operation that combines at least 2,000 officers from the police and the TNI, has been officially extended until May 10. The operation has not yet succeeded in capturing the group, which is now believed to comprise 15 to 30 members. Several people believed to be members of the East Indonesia Mujahidin have died in shootouts with police officers in Poso. (afr/rin)
