Gay Alcorn, Washington – The United States believes that dozens, possibly hundreds, of al-Qaeda fighters have slipped out of Afghanistan into Indonesia, increasingly seen as a crucial country in the war on terrorism.
The Pentagon is reportedly pressing for its troops to enter Indonesia to help the military fight terrorists, but is being frustrated by the Government's reluctance to accept US help and by political hurdles in Washington.
A Pentagon spokesman, Brigadier-General John Rosa, told a briefing that the US was following the trail of al-Qaeda operatives in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. "I don't want to be specific and tell you how or what we found. But as you might expect, that is a vast, vast array of islands. Are there easy places to hide there? You betcha."
The White House yesterday tried to play down a report in USA Today that the Pentagon was pushing for forces to go into Indonesia, long identified as one of the 50 or 60 countries in which al-Qaeda operates.
The paper quoted intelligence officials as saying that some of the group's operatives were believed to have slipped into Indonesia by air, but dozens more had travelled in fishing boats from Arabian Sea ports.
Other reports said the US believed that as many as 400 al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters might have escaped from Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan into Pakistan, and then headed for Indonesia or Malaysia.
US, British and Japanese warships are patrolling off Pakistan to catch fleeing terrorists, but US officials acknowledge that Indonesian authorities have little chance of sealing off the country's vast coastline.
Last week, President George Bush said the US "encourages and expects governments everywhere" to help remove "terrorist parasites". Asked whether the US would send troops into countries such as Indonesia and Somalia uninvited, he said: "We will take actions necessary to protect American people."
The US has no intention of forcing its troops on Indonesia, but it is frustrated with what it sees as the lack of political will by President Megawati Sukarnoputri to join the anti-terrorism campaign. Ms Megawati is fearful of co-operating too closely with the US campaign for fear of angering militant Muslims.
In contrast, more than 600 US troops are in the Philippines helping eliminate the militant Abu Sayyaf group, considered far less dangerous than groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia.
The Bush Administration also faces obstacles in Congress, which banned military co-operation with Indonesia after human rights abuses by its troops in East Timor.