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| Southeast Asia |
| Formation of TQJ will enhance counter-terrorism cooperation |
| 2006-02-02 |
| THE emergence of an offshoot of terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) should result in enhanced anti-terrorism co-operation between Australia and Indonesia, a US strategic thinktank says. Indonesia is investigating links between JI, al-Qaeda and the new Islamist militant group Tanzim Qaedat al-Jihad (Organisation for the Base of Jihad) – headed by Malaysian militant Noordin Mohammed Top. US strategic analysis and intelligence group Stratfor says the emergence of Top's group reinforces earlier suggestions JI is a split organisation. The news comes at a key time for Jakarta, now in the process of negotiating a security pact with Australia. "For Jakarta, the announcement that Top has spun off from JI to form his own regional group offers benefits both in dealing with internal sentiments and in tightening security relations with Australia and other Western nations," Stratfor said. "Australia has incentive to aid in Top's capture as Indonesian police recovered a videotape believed to be from Top in November, which threatened attacks against Australia, the US, Italy and the United Kingdom." Australian counter-terrorism co-operation would be easier to sell to the Indonesian public because the new group was headed by a Malaysian, it said. It has been claimed for some time that JI had split into two factions, with one, which included Top, favouring mass casualty terrorist attacks while the other sought a return to its roots. The emergence of the new group highlighted al-Qaeda's difficulties in gaining a following in Indonesia and offered Jakarta new options in regional and domestic relations in its fight against militants, Stratfor said. "This does not mean militancy in Indonesia has ended. There were militants of Islamist and other bents long before JI's emergence and these have not gone away," it said. "However, the schism between JI's factions shows that the Wahhabist ideology and the internationalism of JI and al-Qaeda continue to face recruiting trouble in Indonesia, despite the nation's massive Muslim population. "Indonesian Islam is much different from that which al-Qaeda proselytises." Australia has incentive to help capture Top after Indonesian police in November recovered a videotape believed to be from Top, threatening attacks against Australia, the US, Italy and the UK. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |