Following last week's bombing outside the Australian embassy here, Indonesia will set up a military-backed anti-terror task force, which will be allowed to conduct clandestine operations, a minister has said.

"The task force will be assigned to carry out both open and clandestine operations to prevent terror attacks," interim Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Hari Sabarno Hari was quoted Thursday by The Jakarta Post as saying.

The task force will fall under the auspices of the National Intelligence Body (BIN) chief, who will coordinate intelligence work between the National Police's anti-terror squad, Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), the Navy's Special Forces Denjaka and the Air Force's Special Forces Bravo.

Hari said the task force would help track down terrorist suspects nationwide.

Plainclothes personnel of the task force will also operate at airports and seaports accessible to terrorist suspects.

The task force will take over from the anti-terror desk which was formed by Hari's predecessor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono shortly after the JW Marriott Hotel bombing here in August last year.

Under the new arrangement, the desk will be incorporated into the task force.

Hari said the existence of the new anti-terror body was not in violation of the Law No 15/2003 on anti-terrorism, which gives thepolice the main role. The law says military intelligence can provide data required to crack down on terrorist groups.

"The framework is still the same, but the military intelligenceunits will now be more involved in the whole process," Hari said, without elaborating.

The President issued Instruction No. 5/2002 that centralizes the coordination of all intelligence bodies under the National Intelligence Agency (BIN).

Hari acknowledged that the current military and police anti-terror squads, as well as other intelligence units, did not have well-knit teamwork, leaving the police with problems in dealing with the crimes.

But the military's anti-terror squads are not without weaknesses, Hari said, as they are merely trained to crush long-term terror attacks, such as hijacks and hostage taking, and are not familiar with immediate attacks like bombing.

The bomb blast outside the Australian Embassy last Thursday killed nine people and injured over 180 others. It was the third major terror attack in Indonesia in three years, after the Bali bombings and Marriott attack.

Source: Xinhua