Indonesian Jihadi Training Camps: Home and Away

Abstract

This article looks at Indonesian training in foreign camps in Afghanistan, the Philippines, and Syria as well as domestic training camps and opportunities in Ambon, Poso, Aceh, and Java. It examines the roles that these camps played not only in building military capacity but also with respect to ensuring organizational continuity, building networks, and fulfilling the obligation of jihad. This article argues that jihadi military training both in Indonesia and abroad has not only served to acquire the necessary skills to fight repressive regimes but also to acquire the capacity to defend the Islamic state the jihadis were seeking to establish. It further argues that foreign training camps provided opportunities for intensive training with heavy weapons and the experience of being part of a global jihad while domestic training camps served caderization, the defense of Muslims in conflict areas, and as preparation for foreign training camps. And finally, this article demonstrates that both domestic and foreign training camps provided opportunities for network-building, leading to new training possibilities.