"We are now working on a concept of special operation unit consisting of special troops from the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force," said Commandant General of the Army`s Special Force Command (Kopassus) Maj Gen Agus Sutomo.Bogor, W Java (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI) will be setting up a special operation unit consisting of elite troops from three forces to help the national police fight terrorism.
"We are now working on a concept of special operation unit consisting of special troops from the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force," said Commandant General of the Army`s Special Force Command (Kopassus) Maj Gen Agus Sutomo, after a counter-terrorism exercise at the Indonesian Peace and Security Centre (PMPP) in Sentul, Bogor, West Java, on Friday.
The elite troops that will join the special operation units are the 81 Gultor of the Army`s Special Force (Kopassus), Jalamangkara detachment of the Navy`s marine corps, and the Bravo corps detachment of the Air Force`s special troops, he added.
Before it is introduced to the public, the special unit will undergo a series of tests with the government and the House of Representatives (DPR). "The concept is in place. We just have to get the approval from the DPR," he said.
The idea to form a special unit emerged when Lt Gen Lodewijk Paulus led the Kopassus a few years ago, he noted.
"The TNI chief will invite Lodewijk as the initiator of the special unit to disclose the concept. If agreed, the concept will be handed over to the defence minister and the president. The government will then submit it to the DPR for approval," he said.
Agus has given assurance that the planned special unit will not replace the police�s anti-terror squad Densus 88.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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