World Terrorism Indonesian radical groups learning Chechen terrorist tactics By ANN.com Sep 28, 2004, 01:35 Indonesian radical groups with links to the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network have produced VCDs and documents on how Chechen separatists make and use land mines and bombs for their cause. This latest discovery has sparked fears among regional intelligence agencies that JI militants in Indonesia may pick up the more aggressive tactics used by the Chechen terrorists. Regional intelligence agencies have also pursued leads that at least three JI leaders from Indonesia had travelled to Chechnya, possibly to establish links with Chechen fighters. The terrorism material, believed to be in at least 24 VCDs titled Neraka Rusia (Russiaˇ¦s Hell), surfaced at rallies and meetings in Indonesia conducted by groups such as Komite Aksi Penanggulangan Akibat Krisis (Kompak), a militia group in which many JI members are said to be involved. They were also distributed at meetings involving the Majlis Mujahideen Indonesia (MMI) headed by Indonesian cleric Abubakar Ba'asyir, who is about to face terrorism charges, and Wahdah Islamiah. Abubakar, who is now detained in Indonesia, has been accused of being involved in the direct activities of the JI while Wahdah Islamiah is a group based in Makassar, Sulawesi. One of the VCDs had footages said to have been downloaded from websites linked to the Chechen cause, showing Chechens undergoing arms training in Afghanistan under Osama bin Ladenˇ¦s Al-Qaeda movement. The VCDs also highlight the use of women in suicide bombings ˇV a trademark of the Chechens but never practised by JI members in the region. Women Chechen guerillas, some wearing burqa, had reportedly taken part in the attack on a Russian theatre on Oct 23, 2002, which ended with 129 hostages dead, and the recent Sept 1 school hostage-taking incident in the southern Russian town of Beslan that left 330 dead, mostly children. What is alarming intelligence officials and analysts is the details in the VCDs about the making and use of landmines by the Chechens in carrying out their operations. Sidney Jones, the South-East Asia director of the International Crisis Group, who has seen one such VCD, has described the material as ˇ§worrisomeˇ¨ because land mines have never been used by JI leaders during arms training in Indonesia and the Philippines. ˇ§The war tactics from the Chechens have been reproduced in these VCDs in Indonesia. They include the planting of mines as well as scenes on how they have been used in Russia,ˇ¨ she told The Star in an interview here. The VCDs, which romanticise the struggles of the Chechens, also glorify the role of prominent Chechen leader Ibn Khattab, the commanding officer of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya. Jones, a widely respected researcher on terrorism in Indonesia, said the material was disturbing because they could influence the minds of radicals in the region in many ways. Datuk Prof Dr Zakaria Ahmad, who heads Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysiaˇ¦s School of History, Politics and Strategic Studies, called for a discussion among regional intelligence agencies on the latest trend. ˇ§Such material is dangerous because we do not know what they will be used for. They are unlawful and can cause damage, I think the security agencies in the region must be on the alert,ˇ¨ he said here. The Star Publication Date : 2004-09-27 ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
