Today-Dec13
Following a crackdown by regional security forces, the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist organization has switched tack to play a patient, long game. Recent arrests in Indonesia suggest that a JI insider had founded a political party, which would be a first for the terror group. The creation of a hybrid militant-political force, like the Hezbollah in Lebanon, could be one of JI’s goals, said experts. Such a move indicate that JI may be sensing that the ground in Indonesia is turning to its favor. Despite attempts to rebrand itself, JI has not truly renounced the use of violence and the Singapore authorities are watching it closely. Despite crackdowns by security agencies, arrests of several key leaders, and a global war on terror that also saw the emergence of rival groups antithetical to its cause, the scourge of the Jemaah Islamiyah organization that terrorized Southeast Asia in the early 2000s still persists today. Many Singaporeans would be familiar with JI — last week marked the 20th anniversary of the Dec 8, 2001 crackdown against the terrorist group in Singapore, which involved the arrests of dozens of its members and exposed the true extent of the nefarious group’s activities in the region. It subsequently emerged that JI drew up plans to attack nearly 80 targets in Singapore. Read more at: https://www.todayonline.com/big-read/big-read-jemaah-islamiyah-emerges-shadows-playing-long-game-1767826
