A total of 146 personnel from the Brimob from the Kelapa Dua headquarters in West Java arrived at Mutiara airport in Palu, on Thursday morning, aboard a civilian passenger aircraft.
Immediately upon arrival, the forces were transported to Poso by six buses.
The reinforcements were needed to hunt down the members of the alleged Santoso-led terrorist group following a gunfight that broke out between them and the police on August 17 in Gunung Langka, Poso Pesisir Utara sub-district, stated Central Sulawesi Police Command Chief Brigadier General Idham Aziz.
One of the group members, named Mado, was killed in the incident during an ambush in Gunung Auma and Gunung Langka. First Inspector Theopani Tatontos from Brimob was killed, while another police personnel suffered a leg injury during the incident.
The Central Sulawesi police have blocked the access road to and from Poso to stop the members of the armed group from fleeing the region, which was once the scene of an inter-religious conflict, Aziz remarked.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
