Washington, Aug 16: Jemaah Islamiah, a southeast
Asian Terrorist Organisation linked to al Qaeda, has formed a
special group of suicide bombers called Laskar Khos, capable
of carrying out assassinations and bombings, including suicide
bombings, media reports said today.
The group, initially reported directly to Abubakar
Bassyir, the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah who was
arrested last fall, bypassing the command structure of
individual cells across southeast Asia, the Washington Post
reported from Jakarta quoting analysts.
"There were at least a dozen suicide bombers recruited,
and perhaps several dozen," Sidney Jones, Indonesia program
Director of International Crisis group, a research and
advocacy organization told the paper. She said another Jemaah
Islamiah leader, Zulkarnain, who is sought in connection with
the Bali bombings, led the special force.
The group, also called unit Khos, emerged as early as
2000 in Poso, on the Island of Sulawesi, one of two major
zones of conflict between Indonesia's Muslims and Christians,
according to Mahendradatta, a lawyer defending Islamic
militants.
Jemaah Islamiah was created about a decade ago and now
includes 300 to 400 trained militants and a core of senior
operatives who have worked with one another for years, the
paper said.
Bureau Report
