Indonesian Jihadi Training Camps: Home and Away

Abstract

This article looks at Indonesian training in foreign camps in Afghanistan, the Philippines, and Syria as well as domestic training camps and opportunities in Ambon, Poso, Aceh, and Java. It examines the roles that these camps played not only in building military capacity but also with respect to ensuring organizational continuity, building networks, and fulfilling the obligation of jihad. This article argues that jihadi military training both in Indonesia and abroad has not only served to acquire the necessary skills to fight repressive regimes but also to acquire the capacity to defend the Islamic state the jihadis were seeking to establish. It further argues that foreign training camps provided opportunities for intensive training with heavy weapons and the experience of being part of a global jihad while domestic training camps served caderization, the defense of Muslims in conflict areas, and as preparation for foreign training camps. And finally, this article demonstrates that both domestic and foreign training camps provided opportunities for network-building, leading to new training possibilities.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Brynjar Lia, Architect of Global Jihad: The Life of Al Qaida Strategist Abu Mus’ab al-Suri (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), 41–3.

2 “Profile: Muamar Ghaddafi.” BBC. June 11, 2011 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-12488278; Mandel, Judyt, “Libya-Public Diplomacy. Libya Under Qadhafi: A Pattern of Aggression.” Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Digital Collections. Box 91721, 2. https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/public/digitallibrary/smof/nsc-communicationsandinformation/mandel/91721/libyaunderaqdhafi-apatternofaggression.pdf.

3 Brynjar Lia, “Doctrines for Jihadi Terrorist Training.” Terrorism and Political Violence. 20 (2008) Thomas Hegghammer “Global Jihadism After the Iraq War.” Middle East Journal, Vol. 60, No.1 (2006).

4 Roel de Bont, Dan Weggmans, Ruud Peters, and Edwin Baker, “Life at ISIS: Roles of Western Men, Women and Children,” Security and Global Affairs. September 2017; Edwin Bakker and Roel de Bont, “Belgian and Dutch Jihadist Foreign Fighters (2012-2015): Characteristics, Motivations, and Roles in the War in Iraq and Syria.” Small Wars and Insurgencies. 27:5 (2016); Joshua Keating, “What did you Learn at Terrorist Training Camp.” Foreign Policy. May 10, 2010; James Forest, The Making of a Terrorist: Recruitment, Training and Root Causes. Westport: Praeger Security International (2006).

5 Peter Nesser, “How did Europe’s Global Jihadis Obtain Training for their Militant Causes.” Terrorism and Political Violence, Vol.20, No.2 (2008); Gabriel Weimann, “Terror on the Internet: The New Arena, the New Challenges (2006); Anne Stenersen, “The Internet: A Virtual Training Camp.” Terrorism and Political Violence. Vol. 20, No. 2 (2008).

6 Lia, “Doctrines for Jihadi Terrorist Training”; de Bont, Weggmans, Peters, and Baker, “Life at ISIS”; Bakker and de Bont, “Belgian and Dutch Jihadist Foreign Fighters (2012-2015)”; Nesser, “How did Europe’s Global Jihadis Obtain Training for their Militant Causes”; Hegghammer, “Global Jihadism after the Iraq War”; Kim Cragin, “Understanding Terrorist Motivation.” Testimony presented before the House Homeland Security Committee. December 15, 2009; Sean Maloney, “Report from the Field: Army of Darkness: The Jihadist Training System in Pakistan and Afghanistan, 1996-2001.” Small Wars and Insurgencies, Vol.26, No.3 (2015).

7 Nesser, “How did Europe’s Global Jihadis Obtain Training for their Militant Causes”; Lia, “Doctrines for Jihadi Terrorist Training”.

8 Stenersen, “The Internet: A Virtual Training Camp”; Weimann. “Terror on the Internet”; Kevin Siqueira and Daniel Arce, “Terrorist Training: Onsite or via the Internet.” European Journal of Political Economy. 53 (2020); Reed Alasdair and Haroro Ingram. “Exploring the Role of Instructional Material in AQAP’s Inspire and ISIS’ Rumiyah.” EUROPOL 5/26/2017.

9 Hegghammer, “Global Jihadism after the Iraq War”, 14.

10 Ibid.

11 John Horgan, Max Taylor, Mia Bloom and Charlie Winter, “From Cubs to Lions: A Six Stage Model of Child Socialization into the Islamic State.” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. 2016, Tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1057610X.2016.1221252, 10–11.

12 Thomas Hegghammer, “Global Jihadism After the Iraq War.” Middle East Journal, Vol. 60, No.1 (2006);

John Horgan, Max Taylor, Mia Bloom and Charlie Winter, “From Cubs to Lions: A Six Stage Model of Child Socialization into the Islamic State.” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. 2016, Tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1057610X.2016.1221252, 11.

13 Nesser, “How did Europe’s Global Jihadis Obtain Training for their Militant Causes”, 242–243.

14 Lia, “Doctrines for Jihadi Terrorist Training”, 533.

15 Ibid.

16 Lia, “Doctrines for Jihadi Terrorist Training”, 534.

17 Ibid, 536.

18 Weimann, “Terror on the Internet”.

19 Stenerson, “The Internet: A Virtual Training Camp”, 215; Siqueira and Arce, “Terrorist Training: Onsite or via the Internet”, 2.

20 Stenersen, “The Internet: A Virtual Training Camp”, 215.

21 Siqueira and Arce, “Terrorist Training: Onsite or via the Internet”, 2.

22 Weimann, “Terror on the Internet”.

23 Thomas Hegghammer, The Caravan: Abdullah Azzam and the Rise of the Global Jihad. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020).

24 Brynjar Lia, Architect of the Global Jihad: The Life of Al-Qaeda Strategist Abu Mus’ab Al-Suri (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014).

25 Abdullah Anas, To The Mountains: My Life in Jihad from Algeria to Afghanistan (London: Hurst, 2019).

26 Nasir Abas, Inside Jemaah Islamiyah (Jakarta: Grafa Grafindo, 2011).

27 See Julie Chernov Hwang, Becoming Jihadis: Radicalization and Commitment in Southeast Asia (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023); Nasir Abas, Inside Jemaah Islamiyah (Jakarta: Grafindo, 2011). Maria Ressa, Seeds of Terror (New York: Free Press, 2003); Solahudin, Roots of Terrorism in Indonesia (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2013); Quinton Temby, Jihadists Assemble: The Rise of Militant Islamism in Southeast Asia (PhD thesis, Australian National University, 2017).

28 Ibid.

29 Julie Chernov Hwang and Kirsten E Schulze, “Why they join: Pathways into Indonesian jihadi organizations”, Terrorism and Political Violence, Vol 30, Issue 6 (2018).

30 Kirsten E. Schulze, “From Ambon to Poso: Comparative and Evolutionary Aspects of Local Jihad in Indonesia”, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Special Issue on Militant Islamin Southeast Asia, Vol 41, No 1 (2019).

31 Solahudin, Roots of Terrorism in Indonesia, 126; Abas, Membongkar Jemaah Islamiyah, 66–67. Abas stipulates names and numbers for batches from 1992 and 1993.

32 Solahudin, Roots of Terrorism in Indonesia, 135.

33 Ibid, 136.

34 Ibid.

35 Interview with former JI amir Abu Rusdan, Kudus, July 2017.

36 Kirsten E. Schulze and Julie Chernov Hwang, “From Afghanistan to Syria: How the Global Remains Local for Indonesian Islamic Militants,” in Exporting Global Jihad, Volume Two: Critical Perspectives from the Periphery, ed. Tom Smith and Kirsten E. Schulze (London. IB Taurus, 2020), 21.

37 Ibid.

38 Interview with Nasir Abas, former head of Jemaah Islamiyah’s Mantiqi 3 training Region, 14 June 2022, via Zoom.

39 Ibid.

40 Ibid.

41 Ibid.

42 Ibid.

43 Ibid.

44 Interview with Nasir Abas, former head of Jemaah Islamiyah’s Mantiqi 3 training Region, 14 June 2022, via Zoom.

45 Interview, former Afghan veteran from the second batch, August 12, 2023.

46 Temby, Jihadists Assemble, 151.

47 Schulze and Chernov Hwang, “From Afghanistan to Syria”, 22.

48 Unpublished autobiography, Mohammed Rais, who attended and taught at Al Qaeda Camp Al Faruq.

49 Ibid.

50 Ibid.

51 Ibid.

52 Ibid.

53 Institute for the Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), “Jemaah Islamiyah’s Military Training Programs”, Report No.79 (2 November 2022), 11.

54 Deposition of Para Wijayanto alias Abang alias Mas alias Abu Askary alias Abu Faiz alias Aji Pangestu alias Aji alias Ahmad Arif alias Ahmad Fauzi Utomo, 19 July 2019.

55 Interview with Para Wijayanto, former JI amir, Jakarta, August 11, 2023.

56 Deposition of Para Wijayanto alias Abang alias Mas alias Abu Askary alias Abu Faiz alias Aji Pangestu alias Aji alias Ahmad Arif alias Ahmad Fauzi Utomo, 19 July 2019.

57 Interview with Para Wijayanto, former JI amir, Jakarta, August 11, 2023.

58 Ibid.

59 Deposition of Dede Anung Somantri alias Dede alias Amung alias Jarot alias Gatot Sampurna, 27 April 2018.

60 Deposition of Budi Trikaryanto alias Budi alias Abu Aiman alias Haidar alias Denis alias Budi Prasetyo alias Sukri alias Gani Bin Panut Cipto Mulyono, 10 July 2019.

61 IPAC, “The Impact of the Taliban Victory on Indonesia’s Jemaah Islamiyah,” Report No.73 (7 September 2021), 13.

62 IPAC, “Jemaah Islamiyah’s Military Training Programs”, 11.

63 Deposition of Agung alias AJI alias David alias Riko Bin Suparno, 15 May 2019.

64 Ibid.

65 Ibid.

66 Ibid.

67 IPAC, “The Impact of the Taliban Victory on Indonesia’s Jemaah Islamiyah”, 13.

68 Ibid.

69 Deposition of Arif Sunarso alias Zulkarnain alias Daud alias Pak Ud alias Mbah Zuk alias Zainal Arifin alias Zul alias Abdullah Abdurrahman alias Abdul alias Abdurrahman, 28 December 2020.

70 Interview with Ali Imron, JI member, Jakarta, 6 December 2010.

71 International Crisis Group (ICG), Weakening Indonesia’s Mujahidin Networks: Lessons from Maluku and Poso, Crisis Group Asia Report N°103 (13 October 2005), 7.

72 Interview with Ali Imron, former JI member, Jakarta, 6 December 2010.

73 Interview with Jack Harun, former Mujahidin KOMPAK member, Solo, 18 August 2015. Interview with former JI member, Jakarta, 31 July 2017.

74 See Chernov Hwang and Kirsten E. Schulze, “Why they join” for a more detailed discussion of the JI joining process.

75 See Schulze, “From Ambon to Poso: Comparative and Evolutionary Aspects of Local Jihad in Indonesia” for a more detailed discussion of the KOMPAK gateway.

76 Interview with Handzollah, former JI member, Solo, 20 August 2015.

77 Ibid.

78 Deposition of Arif Sunarso alias Zulkarnain alias Daud alias Pak Ud alias Mbah Zuk alias Zainal Arifin alias Zul alias Abdullah Abdurrahman alias Abdul alias Abdurrahman, 28 December 2020.

79 ICG, Weakening Indonesia’s Mujahidin Networks: Lessons from Maluku and Poso, Crisis Group Asia Report N°103 (13 October 2005), 7.

80 Interview with Jack Harun, former Mujahidin KOMPAK member, Solo, 18 August 2015.

81 Interview with Ramly, former Mujahidin KOMPAK member, Jakarta, 10 April 2017.

82 Ibid.

83 Ibid.

84 Interview with Jack Harun, former Mujahidin KOMPAK member, Solo, 18 August 2015.

85 Interview with Suhaeb, former JI member, Jakarta, 7 December 2010.

86 Ibid.

87 See Schulze, “From Ambon to Poso” for a more detailed analysis of the discussion within JI on going to Ambon.

88 Interview with Farihin, former JI volunteer in Ambon, Jakarta, 7 April 2017.

89 Interview with Sri Puji, former JI member, Semarang, 7 August 2017.

90 Interview with Sri Puji, former JI member, Semarang, 6 August 2019.

91 Deposition of Sri Puji Mulyo Siswanto alias Puji, 16 December 2010.

92 Interview with Sri Puji, former JI member, Semarang, 6 August 2019.

93 Deposition of Arif Sunarso alias Zulkarnain alias Daud alias Pak Ud alias Mbah Zuk alias Zainal Arifin alias Zul alias Abdullah Abdurrahman alias Abdul alias Abdurrahman, 28 December 2020.

94 Interview with Suhaeb, former JI member, Jakarta, 7 December 2010.

95 Interview with Jibril, former JI member, Jakarta, 4 November 2010.

96 Interview with Handzollah, former JI member, Solo, 20 August 2015.

97 Ibid.

98 Ibid.

99 Interview with Suhaeb, former JI member, Jakarta, 7 December 2010.

100 Interview with Jack Harun, former Mujahidin KOMPAK member Solo, 18 August 2015.

101 Ali Imron, Sang Pengebom (Jakarta: Penerbit Republika, 2007), 108–109.

102 Interview with Yudi Zulfahri and Sofyan Tsauri, initiators of the Aceh training camp, Depok, 29 July 2023.

103 Ibid.

104 For a detailed discussion see ICG, “Jihadi surprise in Aceh”, Asia Report No. 189 (20 April 2010).

105 Interview with Ali Imron, JI member, Jakarta, 6 December 2010.

106 Ibid.

107 Ibid.

108 See Schulze, “From Ambon to Poso”, see also Sumanto Al Qurtuby, Religious Violence and Conciliation in Indonesia: Christians and Muslims in the Moluccas (London: Routledge, 2016) and Badrus Sholeh, Jihad, Conflict and Reconciliation in Ambon, Indonesia: Local and National Responses (Saarbrücken: Lambert Academic Publishing, 2012).

109 Interview with Abdullah Sonata, head of KOMPAK Ambon 2000-2001, Jakarta, 7 December 2010.

110 Interview with Farihin, former JI member, Jakarta, 7 April 2017.

111 Ibid.

112 Interview with Syaiful, former JI instructor in Ambon, Solo, 19 August 2015.

113 Ibid.

114 Interview with Jibril, former JI member, Jakarta, 4 November 2010.

115 Interview with Handzollah, former JI member, Solo, 20 August 2015.

116 Schulze, “From Ambon to Poso”, 48.

117 Interview with Iwan Ambo, former Mujahidin Tanah Runtuh member, Palu, 5 August 2017.

118 Interview with BR, former Mujahidin Tanah Runtuh member, Palu, 6 August 2017.

119 Interview with Cecep, former Mujahidin Tanah Runtuh member, Palu, 5 August 2017.

120 Interview with BR, former Mujahidin Tanah Runtuh member, Palu, 6 August 2017.

121 Ibid.

122 Interview with Cecep, former Mujahidin Tanah Runtuh, Palu, 5 August 2017.

123 Interview with BR, former Mujahidin Tanah Runtuh member, Palu, 6 August 2017.

124 Interview with Iwan Ambo, former Mujahidin Tanah Runtuh member, Palu, 5 August 2017.

125 Interview with Cecep, former Mujahidin Tanah Runtuh member, Palu, 5 August 2017.

126 Ibid.

127 IPAC, “The Impact of the Taliban Victory on Indonesia’s Jemaah Islamiyah”, 14.

128 Interview with Yusuf, former JI member, Semarang, 7 August 2017.

129 Interview with a JI member, Semarang, August 2019.

130 Deposition of Para Wijayanto alias Abang alias Mas alias Abu Askary alias Abu Faiz alias Aji Pangestu alias Aji alias Ahmad Arif alias Ahmad Fauzi Utomo, 19 July 2019.

131 Interview with Para Wijayanto, former JI amir, Jakarta, 11 August 2023.

132 Deposition of Para Wijayanto alias Abang alias Mas alias Abu Askary alias Abu Faiz alias Aji Pangestu alias Aji alias Ahmad Arif alias Ahmad Fauzi Utomo, 19 July 2019.

133 Deposition of Budi Trikaryanto alias Budi alias Abu Aiman alias Haidar alias Denis alias Budi Prasetyo alias Sukri alias Gani Bin Panut Cipto Mulyono, 10 July 2019.

134 Ibid.

135 Ibid.

136 Deposition of Dede Anung Somantri alias Dede alias Amung alias Jarot alias Gatot Sampurna, 27 April 2018.

137 Deposition of Agung alias AJI alias David alias Riko Bin Suparno, 15 May 2019.

138 Deposition of Para Wijayanto alias Abang alias Mas alias Abu Askary alias Abu Faiz alias Aji Pangestu alias Aji alias Ahmad Arif alias Ahmad Fauzi Utomo, 19 July 2019.

139 Interview with mid-level JI commander, Semarang, 5 August 2019.

140 IPAC, “Jemaah Islamiyah’s Military Training Programs”, 10.

141 Deposition of Budi Trikaryanto alias Budi alias Abu Aiman alias Haidar alias Denis alias Budi Prasetyo alias Sukri alias Gani Bin Panut Cipto Mulyono, 10 July 2019.

142 Deposition of Agung alias AJI alias David alias Riko Bin Suparno, 15 May 2019.

143 Deposition of Dede Anung Somantri alias Dede alias Amung alias Jarot alias Gatot Sampurna, 27 April 2018.

144 Ibid.

145 Ibid.

146 “Indonesia’s Legal Framework on Terrorism”, Article 128, paragraph 1, Indonesia’s Criminal Law Update, issue No 3 (2018) http://icjr.or.id/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ICLU-3-2018.pdf.