Thousands of Indonesian elite soldiers sent to hunt for Santoso in the forest

Thousands of Indonesian Military (TNI) special forces officers have been deployed to Poso, Central Sulawesi, to join the manhunt for East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) leader Santoso.

The elite troops joined police units, such as the Mobile Brigade and counterterrorism unit Densus 88, that had earlier joined Operation Tinombala.

The soldiers arrived in Palu and Poso from Jakarta on board Indonesian Air Force planes and then continued their journey to Poso by car, while others arrived on naval ships directly from Surabaya to Poso.

TNI to Set up Joint Special Operations Force Command

Jakarta, May 5 -- The Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) plans to set up a joint special operations unit comprising elite forces of the army, navy and air force. 

"What we are going to set up is not a special force but a joint special operations command," TNI Chief General Moeldoko said after dedicating a TNI museum at the TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Tuesday. 

Operation Garuda Perkasa held in Jember

The Indonesian Air Force conducted a military exercise dubbed Operation Garuda Perkasa (Mighty Garuda) in Jember, East Java, involving various combat and support units, to increase soldiers’ readiness in recapturing and controlling a seized airport.

The exercise was organized by the Abdurrahman Saleh Air Force Base in Malang, East Java, using a scenario that an armed right-wing group was active in the southern part of East Java and had seized Notohadinegoro Airport in Jember.