USA TODAY, Wednesday, March 20, 2002
Pentagon wants to send troops to Indonesia
Officials say al-Qaeda members regrouping there
By Jonathan Weisman USA TODAY
WASHINGTON -- Armed with evidence that al-Qaeda members have fled from
Afghanistan to Indonesia, Bush administration officials are pressing to get U.S. forces
into the giant archipelago.
But the administration faces opposition from an Indonesian government fearful of rising
anger among its 200 million Muslims, and a U.S. Congress that severed ties to the
Indonesian military in 1999.
Intelligence sources say dozens of al-Qaeda operatives have found safe haven in the
world's most populous Muslim nation, which consists of 17,000 islands and 34,000
miles of coastline. Some have come by air, but most have sneaked into Pakistan,
then traveled several thousand miles in fishing boats from Arabian Sea ports, the
sources say.
U.S. allies are patrolling the waters off Pakistan and Iran to catch escaping members
of the terrorist network, but searches of many ships have failed to turn up al-Qaeda
members. U.S. intelligence and congressional sources say it's impossible to monitor
all the sea traffic in the region.
Some Defense Department officials say they want to restart military training missions
that were halted in 1999 after hundreds of civilians were slaughtered in separatist East
Timor. Congressional sources say the Pentagon wants to get forces on the ground to
assess the strength of al-Qaeda.
But a Pentagon official says that plan faces resistance from President Megawati
Sukarnoputri, whose hold on power is weak and who fears that the presence of U.S.
forces could inflame Islamic extremists, many of whom have close links to Indonesia's
military and police. Almost 90% of Indonesia's 228 million people are Muslim.
Indonesia is an excellent hiding place for al-Qaeda. The government has weak control
over its far-flung islands. Al-Qaeda also had a presence in the country before Sept.
11. It trained a local Islamic militant group called Laskar Jihad.
Another obstacle for the Pentagon is Congress. It has barred funds for military
contacts until Indonesia improves the military's human rights record and brings to
justice military officers responsible for the slaughter in 1999.
This month, the State Department accused Indonesia's military of murders, rapes,
beatings and torture.
''We would certainly like the handcuffs removed,'' a senior Pentagon official says.
Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, who placed $18 million into the 2002 Defense budget for
counterterrorism in the Pacific, hinted Tuesday that more money may be on the way
for U.S. operations in Indonesia.
U.S. forces are aiding anti-terror missions in Georgia, the Philippines and Yemen, in
addition to Afghanistan.
© Copyright 2002 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
|
