Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Defying opposition from critics who demanded an independent probe, the government officially set up a Security Operation Command (Koopskam) on Thursday, in a bid to halt attacks in Central Sulawesi and find the unknown assailants.

Insp. Gen. Paulus Purwoko, a two-star police general, will lead the command that will involve a large intelligence operation aimed at finding the masterminds behind the violence in Poso and Palu, Central Sulawesi.

"The problem in Palu and Poso is quite complex, and we're unable to deal with it using ordinary steps," Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Adm. (ret) Widodo Adi Sutjipto explained during a news conference after chairing a special meeting to form the command.

The command comprises the three security institutions – the National Police, the Indonesian Military and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).

"Considering that each of the security institutions has different functions, today we have officially set up the command... to reintegrate their functions," Widodo said.

"We hope the command will be able to resolve the criminal and violent cases in the areas," he added.

However, many critics expressed doubt that the command could work effectively given that certain security officers were believed to have masterminded or been involved in a series of attacks in the province.

The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) said that with the exclusion of civilian legal minds, such as prosecutors and judges, the command could not be effective.

"The government has authorized this team with greater roles, ranging from restoring security in the areas to legal processing of suspects. However, the government has forgotten one thing: that the command only consists of three security institutions which have no authority for legal processing of suspects," PBHI activist Henry Simarmata said on Thursday.

The restive province has seen a series of violent attacks despite a peace accord in 2001 to end two years of sectarian bloodshed in Poso, which claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people. Almost all the recent incidents have targeted Christians.

Intelligence authorities have blamed the Jamaah Islamiyah terrorist network for the attacks. They have branded some Central Sulawesi areas as hotbeds of terrorist activity.

The command's establishment came after local non-governmental organizations called for the government to set up an independent fact-finding team to investigate the violence.

The setting up of the command would be followed up on by deploying some 1,100 reinforcement police officers to Central Sulawesi, where there are already more than 5,000 security personnel, including 2,000 soldiers. "The military will send more reinforcement troops to the areas if needed by the command," Widodo said.

Thursday's establishment of the command was witnessed by Indonesian Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, National Police chief Gen. Sutanto, Minister of Home Affairs M. Ma'ruf and State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Maj. Gen. (ret) Syamsir Siregar.

Command chief Paulus and his deputy Brig. Gen. A.Y. Nasution, the current chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command's first division based in Cilodong, West Java, were also in attendance.