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world news Diaranson 15 september 2021

Indonesia arrests key leader in al-Qaida linked group

(AP) — Indonesia’s elite foreign tourists. across 11 different provinces.
counterterrorism squad
has arrested a convicted Ramadhan described the An Indonesian court banned
militant and suspected arrests as part of a broader the group in 2008 and a sus-
leader of an al-Qaida- nationwide crackdown on tained crackdown by the
linked group that has the group. Police are still country’s security forces
been blamed for a string searching for other suspected with support from the U.S.
of past bombings in the members, followed tips that and Australia has helped to
country, Indonesia police the group was recruiting and weaken the militant network.
said Monday. training new members in In-
donesia. A spokesman for Indonesia’s
Abu Rusdan was seized late National Intelligence Agency,
Friday in Bekasi near the Born in Central Java, Rus- Wawan Hari Purwanto, said
capital of Jakarta, along with dan, 61, was sentenced to in a video statement early
three other suspected mem- jail in 2003 for sheltering Ali this month that following the
bers of Jemaah Islamiyah, Ghufron, a militant who was Taliban takeover in Afghani-
police spokesman Ahmad later convicted and execut- stan, officials have stepped up
Ramadhan said. ed for carrying out the Bali their efforts at early detection
bombings. and prevention “particularly
“He is currently known to be toward terrorist groups that
active among the unlawful After his release from prison have links to the Taliban’s
Jemaah Islamiyah network’s in 2006, Rusdan traveled In- ideology and networks.”
leadership,” Ramadhan told donesia giving speeches and
the Associated Press. fiery sermons that received Indonesia’s counterterrorism
tens of thousands of views crackdown has been ongoing
Indonesian authorities con- on YouTube. In one record- for months already.
sider Rusdan to be a key fig- ed sermon, he praised as the
ure in the Jemaah Islamiyah, “land of jihad” Afghanistan In the past year, Indonesian
which the U.S. has desig- — the country where he had officials say counterterrorism
nated a terrorist group. The previously trained with other forces have captured dozens
shadowy Southeast Asian militant groups. of militants and suspected
network is widely blamed for members of the Jemaah, in-
attacks in the Philippines and Indonesia’s police counter- cluding its alleged military
Indonesia — including the terrorism unit, known as leader, Zulkarnaen, who had Militant attacks on foreigners targeting the government,
2002 bombings in the Indo- Densus 88, has swept up been wanted for more than in Indonesia have been large- mainly police and security
nesian resort island of Bali 53 alleged members of the 18 years. ly replaced in recent years by forces, inspired by Islamic
that killed 202 people, mostly Jemaah in the past weeks, smaller, less deadly strikes State group tactics abroad.

Once inmates, Taliban now in charge in a Kabul prison

(AP) — Once, Kabul’s main pris- ment it had fought for 20 years. Press he had been arrested around a for a better pair he found in a cell.
on was crowded with thousands decade ago in eastern Kunar province Then he found yet a better pair and
of Taliban captured and arrested The Taliban now run Pul-e-Charkhi and was brought to Pul-e-Charkhi, exchanged again. Others played with
by the government. On Monday, Prison, a sprawling complex on Ka- bound and blindfolded. the former prisoners’ makeshift
a Taliban commander strolled bul’s eastern outskirts. After cap- weight bars.
through its empty halls and cell turing the city, the fighters freed all “I feel so terrible when I remember
blocks, showing his friends where the inmates there, the government those days,” he said. He said prisoners Pul-e-Charkhi had a long, disturb-
he had once been imprisoned. guards fled, and now dozens of Tal- suffered abuses and torture. He was ing history of violence, mass execu-
iban fighters are running the facility. imprisoned for around 14 months tions and torture. Mass graves and
It was a sign of the sudden and star- before he was released. “Those days torture cells were uncovered dating
tling new order in Afghanistan after The commander, who refused to are the darkest days of my life, and from the Soviet-backed governments
the militant group swept into the cap- give his name, was on a personal now this the happiest moment for me of the late 1970s and 1980s. Under
ital nearly a month ago and threw out visit to the complex with a group of that I am free and come here without the U.S.-backed government, it was
the crumbling, U.S.-backed govern- his friends. He told The Associated fear.” more known for poor conditions and
overcrowding — its 11 cell blocks
Many Afghans as well as govern- were built to house 5,000 inmates,
ments around the world have been but were often packed with more
alarmed by the swift Taliban seizure than 10,000, including Taliban pris-
of power, fearing the movement will oners and criminals.
impose a similar, harsh rule as they
did during their first time ruling in Taliban prisoners often complained
the 1990s. But for the Taliban fight- of abuses and beatings, and there
ers, it’s a moment to savor a victory were regular riots. Still, they kept up
after years of grueling fighting — and their organization behind bars, win-
to see a city few of them have entered ning concessions like access to cell
since the war began. phones and longer time outside their
cells.
For some of the Taliban guards ac-
companying the AP, it was the first Some of the Taliban now guarding the
time they’d entered the abandoned site were former inmates. The gov-
cell blocks. They looked with curios- ernment guards have fled and don’t
ity through the cells, still littered with dare return, fearing reprisals. Though
things the last inmates left behind — the facility remains largely empty, one
fabrics hanging from the walls and section holds around 60 people im-
windows, small rugs, water bottles. prisoned in the past few weeks, who
the guards said were mostly accused
One fighter exchanged his sandals criminals and drug addicts.