JAKARTA, October 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Responding to the United States-
led military attacks on Afghanistan on Sunday night, the
Indonesian government has urged the United Nations to make a
collective response in saving the situation, but some hard-line
Muslim organizations in the country vowed to launch jihad (holy
war) against the United States. Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono and Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda conveyed
the government's stance on the U.S. military action after a
meeting on security affairs here Monday. Expressing deeply concerned about the military action, the
government urged the U.N., especially the Security Council, to
take steps in handling the humanitarian aspect of the conflict. In the statement, the Indonesian government hopes that the U.S.
attack would be limited both in power, target and period so that
the number of civilian victims would likewise be limited. The government has pledged to send humanitarian aid to
Afghanistan and called on Indonesians to express their sympathy to
Afghans following the U.S. attack. Susilo told reporters that the government will join actively in
fighting any forms of terrorism. He stressed that the government's
official attitude was reflected the aspirations of Muslims in the
country. Indonesia is the world's largest Islamic nation, with more than
85 percent of its 220 million-plus population embracing Islam. Most of the Muslim organizations in the country had condemned
the U.S.-led military action. The Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's largest Muslim
organization, strongly condemned the U.S. military action, asking
the United States to stop the attack now. Former President
Abdurrahman Wahid, who chaired NU for years until his election to
presidency in 1999, accused the superpowers intervening in a
sovereign state. He stressed that the air raids could have been
launched by international forces if the U.S. government could
convince the world community with legal evidences that Taliban
regime-led country was guilty. The Indonesian Ulamas Council called on the U.N. to take a
decision immediately aiming to stop the military action against
Afghanistan and impose a punishment to the United States that
clearly against the international rules of the law. Several hard-line Muslim organizations here vowed to declare a
jihad (holy war) against the United States. Hundreds of
Indonesians have signed up to be sent to Afghanistan as jihad
fighters. The Islamic Youth Movement Chairman Suaib Bidu disclosed
that about 3,125 volunteers are scheduled to leave for Afghanistan
this week. Some organizations had threatened to attack U.S. Embassy here
and U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya, capital of East Java
province. More than 1,000 people from the Islam Defenders Front
held a demonstration in front of the U.S. Embassy. The front
threatened that it would call on all Muslims to besiege the
embassies of the United States and its allies if the Indonesian
government does not sever its diplomatic ties with them in three
days. In anticipation the situation, the United States, the British,
Canada and France have closed their embassies here Monday. U.S.
and British governments also asked their citizens to stay at home. Security has been stepped up in the U.S. and the British
embassies. They are being guarded by policemen equipped with
armored vehicles. Barbed wires have been put up in front of the U.
S. Embassy while the street near the British Embassy has been
closed. About 30 armored cars from the Cavalry battalion in East
Jakarta have been put on stand-by at the National Monument Square
near the U.S. Embassy to transport the U.S. citizens in case there
is a need to evacuate them. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Police Headquarters Monday instructed
provincial police chiefs across the country to prepare a
contingency plan and security protection in case foreign nationals
want to be evacuated. About 10,000 Americans reside in Indonesia. The British Embassy
said some 4,000 British citizens stay here now and some 2,000
British tourists are visiting the country. The U.S. military action has triggered widespread concern among
market players here. The Indonesian rupiah weakened drastically,
closing at 10,250 rupiah against the U.S. dollar compared to 9,800
on Friday. The Jakarta Stock Exchange's composite share price
index also lost 3.804 percent to 367.073 points. Enditem
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