Laskar Jihad (LJ) 



Origins

Laskar Jihad (LJ) was officially founded on 30 January 2000 in response to the violence between Muslims and Christians in the Indonesian province of Maluku. However, LJ had already appeared in public in November 1999, when it functioned as part of the protection militia for the parliament, which was put in place by the military. The group was allegedly formed by members of the Forum Komunikasi Ahlu Sunnah wal-Jama’ah (FKAWJ).
In May 2000, between 2,000 and 3,000 volunteer fighters were sent to Maluku, where they actively participated in the violent conflict between Christians and Muslims. The goal was to eradicate the secessionist movement in the South Moluccas, the Republik Maluku Selatan (RMS). However, it was reported that many of these volunteer fighters went to the area after being told by their leaders that they would be carrying out humanitarian activities. On 12 February 2002, Christian forces and LJ signed a peace accord in the South Moluccas, but it was soon broken.
In late 2001, about 750 LJ fighters were reportedly sent to Poso, located in the central part of the island of Sulawesi, which is another site of Christian - Muslim violence.
Since 2001, LJ has also maintained a presence in Papua. Sources claim that in May 2002, 2,000 LJ combatants were sent to this region and regional offices installed in Sorong, Fakfak, Timika, Nabire, Manokwari, and Merauke.

 

 

Location / Main area of operation

Laskar Jihad has its headquarters in Yogyakarta, which is located in the island of Java; in 2000, the organization established a training camp in West java. Fighters were also sent to Maluku Province in 2000, where they were mainly active in the south, and to Sulawesi Island and Papua in 2001.

 

 


Objectives

The philosophy of Laskar Jihad is a mixture of Islamism and nationalism. Accordingly, this armed group seeks an Indonesian State focusing on Islam, military power, and a strong government. Furthermore, the group wishes to remove Christians from Maluku in the aim of protecting Muslims.

Number of Members


In 2000, estimates of the LJ combatants varied largely, from 3,000 to 10,000. In 2002, the group’s military strength was estimated to be between 500 and 800 men. The IISS currently estimates the group combatants to be about 500.

Type : National

Laskar Jihad is a national non-state armed group as it operates exclusively in Indonesia.

 

Conflict Status : Active

Immediately following the Bali bombing on 12 October 2002, Ja’far Umar Thalib , the leader of this armed group, announced it had disbanded, stating that the decision had been taken some days before the bombing. However, due to the signs of a government crackdown on extremist groups following the bombing, it is likely that LJ was forced to give up its activities. Other sources claim that the group had internal conflicts and that it may have been facing serious difficulties obtaining military and other essential resources for continuing its activities. The disbandment probably resulted from a mixture of a lack of funding and the expected strong domestic and international pressure on the group following the Bali bombing. Additionally, LJ withdrew from Maluku in October 2002 after its disbandment.
Although the group has officially disbanded, some indicators suggest that it continues to carry out certain activities, mainly aimed at spreading its ideology. For instance, the group participated at meetings of radical movements organised by the Congress of the Mudjahedins from Jogjakarta. Ja’far Umar Thalib also threatened in February 2003 to re-establish LJ, should Christians start persecuting Muslims in Indonesia. Currently, the IISS Armed Conflict Database reports LJ’s status as ‘dormant’, meaning that the group has been inactive during the last 12 months.

 

 

Structure of the organization

According to Greg Fealy, a Fellow at the Department of Political and Social Change of the Australian National University, LJ is supposed to be the military wing of the Forum Komunikasi Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah (FKAWJ or Sunni Communication Forum). This forum was established in 1999 with the aim of “securing the implementation of Islamic law in Indonesia.” Ja’far Umar Thalib , the LJ’s leader, is allegedly the Chairman of the 60-member board of Patrons of the Forum.
The IISS Armed Conflict Database describes LJ's organisation in Maluku as a “well-disciplined force comprising four battalions of four companies with four platoons and three squads in each.” According to the same source, as well as international and Indonesian press, LJ received hidden support from some elements in the Indonesian military. For instance, it is reported that some members of the Indonesian army (TNI) and the Indonesian police assisted the group in 2000, when fighters were sent to Maluku. TNI members have also reportedly assisted in training LJ members; and some sources cite continuing ties with certain members of the Indonesian military.
 

 

Leadership

Ja’far Umar Thalib is the leader of Laskar Jihad. He was born in December 1961 in a family of Arab origin in 1961. He studied at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies in Jakarta before attending the Islamic Institute in Pakistan in 1986. In 1987, he participated in the war in Afghanistan against the Soviet military forces as a member of the command of Hezb-I Islami de Gulbuddin Hekmatyar; while in Afghanistan, he had his first meeting with Osama bin Laden. However, Thalib found him incompetent, and refused, according to his own account, Al-Qaeda's financial aid in 2001; as such, Thalib denies having any link with Al-Qaida.
In 1994, he opened a network of religious schools where the idea of an Indonesian State ruled by strict Islamic law was pushed and many of the students were recruited into LJ. Following the creation in 1998 of a forum to bring together the most important radical Islamic organisations in Indonesia, Thalib then founded LJ in 1999.
He was arrested and detained temporarily in May 2001, after masterminding the stoning death of an LJ member for committing adultery. On 4 May 2002, he was arrested again for a mortal attack carried out on a Christian village on 28 April of the same year. In January 2003, an Indonesian court acquitted him from the charges of inciting attacks on Christians and verbal slander of the Indonesian President.

 

 

External aid/Third party involvement

Sources allege that the group has strong ties with an armed Islamic group in the Philippines called Abu Sayyaf, which supplied LJ with small arms. It is reported that Thalib has kept ties with the Malaysian-based armed group Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), which allegedly collaborates with Al-Qaeda.
Although the Thalib denies having any substantive link with Al-Qaida, certain analysts believe that such ties have existed. According to the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, a U.S. based think tank, some Al-Qaida members have been trained in LJ camps in Java. Nevertheless, no concrete evidence has been found linking these two groups.
 

 

External effects of the NSAG's armed activities

The conflict in the Moluccas has caused between 6,000 and 12,000 deaths and has displaced about 50,000 Christians. Other sources speak even of 750,000 people who had to flee from the areas of conflict. Nevertheless, there is no current information available as to how many of these deaths and displaced people resulted from armed actions involving Laskar Jihad.

 

 

Funding

According to the Washington D.C. based Center for Defense Information, Western intelligence sources have indicated that “at least 9.3 million have been transferred from the Indonesian Army’s main fighting section to Laskar Jihad.” This support probably ceased after the attacks on 11 September 2001 in the U.S. This source also reports that Saudi Arabia, Libya and Afghanistan have also provided funding for Laskar Jihad. Internet donations and collections in mosques throughout Indonesia have provided an additional source of funding for LJ.
 

 

Relationship with the international community

Laskar Jihad does not figure in the list of terrorist organizations of either the United States or the European Union.

Books

  • Atkins, Stephen E. (2004), Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups (Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers), available at link.
  • Balencie, Jean Marie and de la Grange, Arnaud (2005), Les nouveaux mondes rebelles (Paris: éditions Michalon).
  • Baud, Jacques (2003), Encyclopédie des terrorismes et violences politiques (Panazol: Lavauzelle).
  • Szajkowski, Bogdan (ed) (2004), Revolutionary and Dissident Movements of the World (London: Harper Publishing).
     

Articles and Chapters

  • “Inside the Laskar Jihad” (Greg Fealy), Inside Indonesia, January–March 2001, available at link

 

Reports and resolutions of intergovernmental organizations

  • EU Council, Common Position 2006/380/CFSP of 29 May 2006, OJ 2006 L 144/25.

 

Governmental reports

  • U.S. Department of State, Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). Fact Sheet Office of Counterterrorism, Washington DC, 11 October 2005, available at link

Reports of think tanks and non-governmental organizations

  • Blair, Dennis C. & Phillips, David L. (2003), Indonesia Commission: Peace and Progress in Papua, Council of Foreign Relations, available at link.
  • Bolte, Patrick, Möller, Kay & Rzyttka, Osman, Politischer Islam, Sepraratismus und Terrorismus in Südostasien, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, Deutsches Institut für Internationale Politik und Sicherheit, SWP-Studie 2003/S, 12 March 2003, available at link
     

Press Information (in chronological order)

  • “Who are the Laskar Jihad?”, BBC News, 20 June 2000, at link.

 

Interviews

Internet resources

  • Center for Defense Information, In the Spotlight: Laskar Jihad, available at link.
  • Council of Foreign Relations, Terrorism Havens: Indonesia, available at link
  • Global Security, Laskar Jihad, available at link.
  • IISS Armed Conflict Database, Non State Armed Groups, Laskar Jihad, available at link.
  • IISS Armed Conflict Database, Indonesia (Maluku), Historical Background, available at link
  • IISS Armed Conflict Database, Indonesia (Maluku), Military & Security Developments Overview, available at link.
  • Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, Terrorism Knowledge Base, Laskar Jihad, available at link.

 

Statements of the armed group

Agreements involving armed groups