9 January 2021
Authors: Any Rufaedah, UNUSIA and Idhamsyah Eka Putra, Persada Indonesia University
After losing 95 per cent of its territories in Iraq and Syria, the so-called Islamic State (IS) movement is widely considered to have fallen. Yet despite its territorial collapse, IS still has support among Islamist militant groups in Indonesia. One of them is Mujahidin Indonesia Timur (MIT), a group that pledged its allegiance to IS in 2014 and labelled a terrorist group by the US Department of State in 2015.
The group has faced serious logistical problems particularly in recruiting new fighters. Following the death of their first leader Santoso in 2016, MIT fighters continued their struggle with only nine personnel. MIT’s current chief Ali Kalora managed to strengthen the group in 2018, bringing the total number to 16 fighters. Under Kalora’s command, the group carried out numerous violent attacks.