Counter-Terrorism and the Rise of ISIS in 2014

Sidney Jones
Director, Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC)
[email protected]

Would-be terrorists killed four police officers and a military informant during the year, but the low death toll masked a high level of activity, much of it focused on getting to Syria. By December, 110 Indonesians had been identified as having gone to Syria to fight since mid-2013, including wives but not including those who went only briefly on humanitarian missions. Most left to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), later simply called the Islamic State (IS), but some joined rival forces, including the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front. By mid-2014, concern was growing in government circles over how to prepare for the possible return of experienced mujahidin with the potential for revitalizing the jihadi movement at home.

ISIS-linked issues were not the only concern: the resurfacing of Jemaah Islamiyah as a well-structured organization with a systematic recruitment and training agenda was also a worry, as was the ongoing lack of a clear strategy for counter-radicalisation efforts. ISIS, however, attracted all the attention, particularly after its recruitment video, Joining the Ranks, was posted on YouTube on July 23, with an Indonesian fighter, Bahrum Syah, urging others to join the Islamic State. Officials in Jakarta saw this as a direct challenge to the Indonesian republic and on August 4, 'banned' ISIS. In the absence of any law or regulation outlawing membership, however, the 'ban' was little more than a policy directive. To this day, Indonesia has few tools at its disposal to deter people from pledging loyalty, travelling to Syria or coming back as combat-hardened fighters.