An Islamist group in Indonesia said on Monday it plans to recruit as many as 1,000 volunteers to fight in the Gaza Strip in response to Israeli air strikes that have killed more than 300 Palestinians. "Fighters should be in good physical condition, have a strong faith and be ready to die," Ahmad Soebri Lubis, secretary-general of the Islamist Defenders Front, told Reuters by telephone. "They will be provided with a one-way ticket until we defeat Israel."
" Fighters should be in good physical condition, have a strong faith and be ready to die, "
Ahmad Soebri Lubis, secretary-general of the Islamist Defenders Front | Lubis said the group would start recruiting at its Jakarta headquarters in the next few days, and would send volunteers for training at camps in Indonesia to prepare them for the "battleground". He said the group has in the past sent volunteers to Iraq and to Afghanistan.
But don't go confusing them with a terrorist organization...
Many Indonesians support the Palestinian cause and are opposed to U.S. policies in the Middle East, particularly the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The Indonesian government on Sunday joined widespread international condemnation of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, which began with air strikes on Saturday. |