Palu, Central Sulawesi, (antarasulteng.com) - Military (TNI) Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo and National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian personally checked the bodies of wanted terror suspect Santoso and one of his men Mochtar at a hospital on Wednesday.
The duo arrived at the local Mutiara airport each aboard a special aircraft at different times to personally see the bodies to confirm whether Santoso was dead.
The police chief arrived at around 3 p.m. local time and the military commander, at around 4:30 p.m. local time.
On arrival at the airport, the duo, accompanied by Army Chief of Staff General Moeljono and Chief of the National Counter-Terrorism Agency Commissioner General Suhardi Alius, visited the RSU Bhayangkara police hospital.
Upon arrival, the delegation along with Central Sulawesi Deputy Governor Soedarto and Central Sulawesi Regional Police Chief Brigadier General Rudi Sufahriadi immediately entered the morgue and stayed there for about 10 minutes before leaving to meet newsmen.
General Tito, accompanied by General Gatot, reiterated that the body he has just seen was of Santoso, as confirmed by the results of various checks ranging from fingerprint analysis to the identification of other physical marks as well as the testimonies recorded from his family members, adding that the result of the DNA test is being awaited.
He thanked the TNI commander, the army chief of staff, and their ranks as well as TNI and police personnel for their joint cooperation during the Tinombala Operation that had led to the death of Santoso.
On the other hand, General Gatot remarked the operation would still be continued with the same intensity despite Santoso`s death.
"The operation would even be stepped up, but no new personnel would be added, as the existing team is considered adequate. However, operations would be intensified both at the military and territorial fronts," he affirmed.
Both the TNI general and police chief appealed to Santoso`s men, who are still hiding in the hill forests in Poso District, to surrender and return to the community fold after undergoing the judicial process.
After meeting with newsmen, they issued directives to some one thousand personnel of the TNI and Police at the Central Sulawesi regional police command.
