Indonesian National Police Oversee Indonesian Citizens Visisting Iraq-Syria

Jakarta (Antara) - The Indonesian National Police is collaborating with immigration officials to tighten the supervision of Indonesian citizens travelling to Iraq and Syria to prevent the spread of "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) in Indonesia. "The police is working closely with the immigration office and coordinating with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights for identifying Indonesian citizens who go directly to Iraq and Syria or through the countries of the Middle East," Indonesian National Police Chief General Sutarman stated here on Thursday. According to him, the police have also retrieved a note revealing that there were 56 Indonesians who went to Syria, of which four had died. "There were four Indonesian citizens who died there (Syria) in the area of conflict. Someone died because of suicide bombings," he remarked. Sutarman pointed out that there were Indonesian citizens who directly went to Syria and Iraq, while some others when through the countries of the Middle East. "We want them to be supervised. However, the immigration has authority to ban them," he affirmed. The Indonesian National Police has mapped a community group, which is allegedly affiliated with Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). "The people affiliated with ISIS are hard-line groups that have existed in Indonesia, and they have already been mapped by the police. We continue to track them," Sutarman noted here on Thursday. The police have mapped communities, which have been influenced by the ISIS ideology. Therefore, the police are taking preventive steps against people who are affiliated with ISIS. (*)