Assassination of a Terror Mastermind

Police dealt a blow to Indonesia's main terrorism network on Thursday after confirming the death of top-ranked Islamic militant Noordin Mohammed Top following a raid on a home in Central Java.
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JAKARTA - Police dealt a blow to Indonesia's main terrorism network on Thursday after confirming the death of top-ranked Islamic militant Noordin Mohammed Top following a raid on a home in Central Java.

The raid was carried out by Detachment 88, the anti-terror arm of the national police force which has received training and assistance from the United States and Austrailan governments. It represented the counter-terror squad's latest attempt to root out the Al-Qaeda-linked network, Jemaah Islamiah (JI).

"This is a major achievement in Indonesia's counterterrorism efforts," said Rizal Sukma, executive director of Indonesia's Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Others, howevr, shared concerns that the timing of the raid might have been aimed at revamping the police's image, which is suffering from a dispute between senior police officers and the independent Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) which has accused police of trying to discredit its mandate.

Read the full report at Asia Times Online: Assasination of a terrorist mastermind

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