Farouk Arnaz, Anita Rachman & Agencies – The National Police on Sunday played down the level of military involvement in the fight against terrorism following the recent use of soldiers in such operations for the first time in nearly a decade.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Iskandar Hasan confirmed that Army intelligence and troops had joined police hunting militants in North Sumatra after an attack on a police post in Hamparan Perak on Sept. 22 that killed three police officers, but stressed this did not reflect a new policy or strategy.

"This is just because the [North Sumatra Police chief] has a close relationship with the local Army chief and they decided to cooperate to maintain the security. It's just an informal cooperation," he said.

"This is a local military battalion near the area and they want to help us. We welcome it because it is related with security and the army work is under police coordination and direction."

The statement came as Ansyaad Mbai, the head of the newly formed National Anti-Terrorism Agency (BNPT), was quoted as saying cooperation was "a new development" in response to the changing tactics of terrorists, who are shifting from suicide bombings to armed assaults as seen in Mumbai in 2008.

"The goal is to send the terrorists a strong message that they are now enemies of the state, not just the police," he said. "Terrorists have to know for sure that they're now facing the state, and that the state is ready to deploy all its forces to face them."

While Iskandar stressed that the military involvement in North Sumatra antiterror operations had nothing to do with the BNPT, Ansyaad has long made it clear that the BNPT would not shy away from requesting Army support.

"We're ready to crush terrorists, any time," said Maj. Gen. Lodewijk Paulus, who heads Kopassus, the Army special forces unit that until recently was on a US blacklist for Suharto-era human rights abuses.

Critics have warned of the dangers of involving the Armed Forces. The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) had said the inclusion of the military could lead to abuses.

"I'm worried the military will use their power to once again suppress civil rights and arrest anyone they consider terrorists," said analyst Mardigu Wowiek Prasantyo, from the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy. "It really feels like we're turning back the clock."

Jim Della-Giacoma, the Southeast Asia project director of the International Crisis Group, said the military could play a role in situations such as plane or ship hijackings, but that it should not undermine a successful strategy driven by law enforcement.

"Indonesia has to be very careful about involving the military in fighting this war, about overreacting to this threat," he said."Terrorism is not an existential threat to the nation. It is a criminal exercise by a small group of people who are generally well known, and many have been in and out of prisons."

PDI-P lawmaker Tubagus Hasanuddin, deputy chairman of House Commission I overseeing defense, said it supported the idea. "But the government must explain in detail the military's role... What is the military's function, authority and limit? It's fine to get them involved, but there should be clear parameters."

[Additional reporting by AP and the NY Times.]