Gunbattle in central Indonesia kills 10

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104AP_Indonesia_Militant_Violence.html

Monday, January 22, 2007 · Last updated 11:12 a.m. PT

Gunbattle in central Indonesia kills 10

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

POSO, Indonesia -- An anti-terror squad raided an Islamic militant stronghold Monday in central Indonesia, touching off a gunbattle that left nine suspected fighters and one officer dead, the local police chief said.

Security forces in Sulawesi Island town of Poso arrested 18 alleged militants and seized a large haul of bombs and weapons after the three-hour exchange, which represented a sharp escalation in the fight against terrorism in the Muslim nation.

"I don't want to speculate whether they were members of Jemaah Islamiyah," Brig. Gen. Badrodin Haiti told The Associated Press, referring to the al-Qaida-linked group. "But they are part of a dangerous, armed group that has caused unrest among the people."

Most of Indonesia's 190 million Muslims practice a moderate form of Islam. But hard-liners have gained a foothold in recent years, carrying out a string of deadly terrorist attacks that have left scores dead.

Many have set up base on Sulawesi, the scene of bloody fighting between Muslim and Christian gangs six years ago that left at least 1,000 people from both faiths dead. Islamic extremists have been blamed for sporadic bombings, shootings and other attacks since then.

Security forces have carried out several operations on Sulawesi targeting Muslim militants in recent weeks, but Monday's was by far the bloodiest. Haiti said the anti-terrorist squad was acting in self-defense.

"If they did not fire at us, there is no way we would have attacked them," he said.

Jemaah Islamiyah has been blamed for at least four terrorist attacks in recent years, the most deadly being the 2002 suicide bombings on Bali island that killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists.

The government has since arrested hundreds of suspected militants and several others have been killed, including a man said to be a senior Jemaah Islamiyah member who was shot Jan. 11 by Poso police.

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Associated Press Writer Niniek Karmini contributed to this report from Jakarta.
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