Return to jihad in Indonesia
Could returning fighters extend Islamic State into Southeast Asia?
Since peaking in the years between 1990 and 2004, the activities of terrorist organisations in Indonesia have significantly declined thanks to the government’s counter-terrorism efforts after the Bali bombings. However, developments in Syria and Iraq threaten to encourage a resurgence of terrorist organisations in Indonesia and throughout the region.
After the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) declared it had established a caliphate on 29 June 2014, foreigners from around the world have been drawn to Syria and Iraq to participate in the ongoing conflict. Among these individuals, it is estimated that between 100 and 300 Indonesians have volunteered to join and fight for IS.
While it seems that many of the individuals who decide to travel to the Middle East to fight for IS don’t intend to return, it remains a possibility that some Indonesian jihadists wish to continue terrorist activities at home after fighting. The ambitions of these returning jihadists are a cause for concern. It may even be that some are intending to return to Indonesia in order to wage jihad in the interest of expanding the caliphate that IS has established.