Indonesian authorities have said they have no plans to repatriate their 700 or so nationals who joined the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in the Middle East, with the possible exception of a few children, for fear of jeopardizing the security of the country.
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This issue has been the subject of heated debate in the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, while President Joko Widodo spoke out against the repatriation of jihadists and their families who have left for Syria or other countries. .
" We have decided that the government must provide security guarantees to the 267 million Indonesian citizens ," security coordinator Minister Mahfud MD said Tuesday evening after meeting with the president near the capital Jakarta. . " If these foreign terrorist fighters come home, they could become a dangerous virus ," he added.
The 689 Indonesians concerned, including a large number of women and children, stranded in the Middle East will therefore not be allowed to return home.
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Children 10 and under could be repatriated on a "case by case" basis
The government could nonetheless repatriate children aged 10 and under " on a case-by-case basis, " he added. Supporters of a repatriation stress that it is preferable to recover these Indonesians and de-radicalize them, otherwise they could be exploited by extremist groups.
" If not managed well by the government, there is a possibility that they will be used by powerful groups that could threaten Indonesia or other countries, " said terrorism expert Taufik Andrie. Indonesia has been the target of several bloody attacks in recent years attributed to jihadists close to IS.
In May 2018, the Islamist extremist movement Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) orchestrated a series of attacks against churches in Surabaya, the second city of Indonesia in the east of the island of Java, which killed around 20 people. including authors.
These attacks made an impression as whole families, including two girls aged 9 and 12, were implicated in the suicide bombings. Last year, two extremists stabbed the Indonesian security minister Wiranto with a weapon. , who survived the attack.