"I have agreed with TNI Commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto to involve TNI in the operations," Karnavian said after attending a meeting on counterterrorism led by President Joko Widodo at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.
According to him, counterterrorism operation in Indonesia includes 75 percent intelligence operation, 5 percent striking and another 20 percent of filing for the judicial process.
Koopssusgab is a joint antiterror team consisted of three TNI branches: the Army`s Special Forces (Kopassus) 81 unit, the Navy`s Jalamangkara Detachment and the Air Force`s Bravo 90 unit.
The team was first initiated by current Presidential Chief of Staff General (retired) Moeldoko when he was TNI commander in 2015.
The unit was successful to conduct Tinombala Operation in Poso, Central Sulawesi, to capture the Mujahidin Indonesia Timur (MIT) terrorist group led by Santoso.
Later, the unit was suspended by former TNI commander General (retired) Gatot Nurmantyo.
The government`s plan to re-establish Koopssusgab after several terrorist attacks at the Mobile Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob) area in Depok, West Java as well as in three churches in Surabaya and in flats in Sidoarjo East Java, receives criticism from several parties, including the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).
Involving the military in counterterrorism operations has raised concerns among human right activists, particularly regarding the possibility of human rights abuses committed in counterterrorism measures.
Moeldoko, on the other hand, argued that Koopssusgab personnel were taught to always respect and uphold human rights so they could work optimally in the field.
The unit was also the government`s response to terrorism issues that were becoming more complex.
President Joko Widodo has agreed to reinstate the Koopsusgab to assist the National Police in antiterrorism operations under certain conditions.
According to Karnavian, joint forces mechanism between police and TNI as well as public support are important in counterterrorism efforts.
"The principle of the handling of terrorists is to win public support. If the public supports the government`s measures to handle this problem, terrorism will not be able to grow," he asserted.
Reported by Desca Lidya Natali
(T.Y013/A/KR-BSR/A014)
Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
