Indonesian ISIS Executioner Killed in Syria battle

A veteran Indonesian militant with ties to terror networks in Indonesia and The Philippines was killed last month in a battle in Syria, dealing a serious blow to the Islamic State and its affiliates in the Southeast Asian countries.

Muhammad Saifuddin, also known as Abu Walid, was killed on January 29 in eastern Deir Ezzor province where an international coalition is trying to defeat remaining pockets of ISIS.

“Abu Walid was a veteran terrorist. In Syria, he was known as an executioner and he has influence and a big role among Indonesian militants in Syria. We hope the death of Abu Walid will demoralise militants in Syria and at home,” Indonesian National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said yesterday. “He was killed by shrapnel from a Syrian forces tank in the battle.”

Walid was a member of Jemaah Islamiah, the terror network that conducted the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, 88 of them Australians.

He was once arrested by Filipino authorities for trying to smuggle guns and explosives to Indonesia under the order of Noordin Mohammad Top, the slain mastermind of the Australian embassy bombing in Jakarta in 2004 and the second Bali bombing in 2005.

After eight years in a Filipino prison, he was released in 2013, staying under the radar until he appeared in a 2016 ISIS video in which he was filmed with two other militants executing three foreigners, including Japanese journalist Kenji Goto near Raqqa in Syria. Walid went on to become a key ISIS recruiter, appearing in several videos on radical websites.

Indonesian terrorism analyst Adhe Bhakti said Walid’s death was a blow to militants in Indonesia and abroad. “Indonesian fighters in Syria have lost one of their last remaining figureheads and for aspiring jihadists back home, they lost a key recruiter and a role model,” Mr Bhakti told The Australian. Walid’s death also came at a critical time for Indonesia’s fight against terror, as a series of crackdowns on ISIS cells in the country had provoked fresh talk among militants and sympathisers of leaving Indonesia to help cornered jihadists in Syria.

“They are starting to feel the heat at home. They are closely monitored both online and off, hampering their ability to get together and plot an attack and were thinking about going to Syria,” Mr Bakhti said. “But Abu Walid’s death means they have lost another channel to get to Syria and it makes them think twice about going. His death will seriously demoralise them.”

General Prasetyo said Walid had been trying to recruit more militants to come to Syria using his vast network and connections in the veteran terrorist circle.

One hardened terrorist he was known to be working to recruit was Harry Kuncoro, who was arrested in Jakarta on January 3 as he attempted to leave for Syria.

Mr Kuncoro had twice been convicted of terrorism and faces three different terrorism charges. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted.