The Jakarta Post, August 15, 2006
Fighters to leave for Lebanon
BATAM, Riau Islands: "Jihadists" wanting to transit in Batam before leaving for
Lebanon and Palestine were told Monday to depart from other cities for security
reasons.
"The chances of being infiltrated by provocateurs is higher if we leave from Batam. It's
better for the jihadists to transit in Dumai or Medan (North Sumatra) before proceeding
to Malaysia and then to the Middle East," Muhammad Ali, founder of the Nur Fadillah
Foundation, said at a gathering of 1,000 volunteers to join a declared jihad against
Israel.
He said the move was made due to security reasons, not because there was any
difficulty providing meals or accommodation on Batam. But he declined to say
whether the 1,000 volunteers would be sent at once, saying the matter was still being
discussed with the Muslim businessmen who supported the movement.
Batam was chosen as a stopover due to its proximity to Malaysia and Singapore,
where commercial flights to the Middle East are readily available. -- JP
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