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| View of Thamrin Street, Jakarta/Indonesia. (Image: Flickr User - BxHxTxCx) |
By Prashanth Parameswaran
A preliminary assessment of the attacks that rocked the Indonesian capital on January 14.
On the morning of January 14, a series of explosions and gunfire rocked the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, leaving at least seven dead and more than 20 injured.
While it is still early days, the evidence so far suggests that the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is responsible. Though it is important not to exaggerate the significance of a single event, the attack highlights the growing reach of terrorists into Indonesia – the world’s most populous Muslim country – as well as the rising threat of militancy in Southeast Asia.
From what we know so far, the attacks began late Thursday morning in Jakarta when a suicide bomber detonated a device at a Starbucks, killing himself. Then, as individuals fled the café, two gunmen outside began opening fire, while two more suicide bombers detonated devices on the street. A Canadian man was shot dead and an Indonesian was killed by shrapnel, while the police shot and killed two other militants, leaving all five attackers dead. Police later said they had found six small bombs after sweeping the area.
The January 14 attack was hardly out of the blue. Indonesia is no stranger to Islamic militancy. A previous wave of terrorism following 9/11 saw Jemaah Islamiyah – loosely referred to as the Southeast Asian offshoot of Al-Qaeda – carry out a series of attacks, including the deadly Bali bombings in 2002 and twin bombings in July 2009 which targeted the J.W. Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels. The 2009 attacks marked the last major terrorist incident in Indonesia. There are several groups currently operating in the country, including one based in central Java with links to ISIS as well as Mujahidin of Eastern Indonesia (Mujahidin Indonesia Timur, MIT) in Poso, Central Sulawesi, led by Santoso, who is Indonesia’s most wanted terrorist.
Read the full story at The Diplomat