http://www.theage.com.au/national/new-warning-issued-as-digger-dies-20090719-dpjd.html?page=-1
New warning issued as digger dies Tom Allard, Jakarta and Brendan Nicholson July 20, 2009 AUSTRALIANS have been warned that more terrorist attacks could be launched in Indonesia in the wake of Friday's deadly hotel bombings in Jakarta that killed nine people and injured more than 50. The Federal Government has also linked the bombings in Indonesia to the ongoing fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, where the 11th Australian soldier was killed on Saturday. Indonesian police last night said Jemaah Islamiah - which was responsible for the 2002 Bali bombing - committed the atrocities. "We confirm that the attackers are from Jemaah Islamiah because there are similarities in the bombs used," national police spokesman Nanan Soekarna said. In Afghanistan, Private Benjamin Ranaudo, 22, was killed by a bomb or mine as his unit surrounded a walled compound in the Baluchi Valley of southern Afghanistan while searching for insurgents. A second Australian soldier was seriously wounded and was to be flown to a military hospital in Germany. Three Afghan civilians, including an eight-year-old boy, were also hurt and are being treated in Afghanistan. Private Ranaudo, who had been in Afghanistan for only four weeks, was described as a dedicated professional soldier. "He died ensuring that terrorist groups do not have Afghanistan as a base from which they can plan and mount attacks," said the chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd warned that victory in Afghanistan was necessary to stop the country becoming a terrorist stronghold. Mr Rudd offered his condolences to Private Ranaudo's family, but made it clear the Government remained committed to the war. "In the light of these terrible events in Afghanistan yesterday, it's important for us all to remember here in Australia that Afghanistan has been a training ground for terrorists worldwide, a training ground also for terrorists in South-East Asia, reminding us of the reasons that we are in that field of combat and reaffirming our resolve to remain committed to that cause," Mr Rudd said. In a weekend interview, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates warned that US-led forces in Afghanistan must start to show progress within the next year, or face the likely loss of public support. "After the Iraq experience, nobody is prepared to have a long slog where it is not apparent we are making headway," Mr Gates said. "The troops are tired, the American people are pretty tired." Lowy Institute defence analyst Hugh White warned against connecting progress in Afghanistan with the broader fight against international terrorists, saying he did not believe the situation in Afghanistan made much difference to terrorism in Indonesia or elsewhere. The investigation into Friday's bombings in Jakarta is yet to result in arrests. The man many suspect of being the mastermind, fugitive Malaysian-born terrorist Noordin Mohammed Top, remains at large. The Department of Foreign Affairs has issued a new travel advisory, warning that "there is a possibility of further terrorist attacks in Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia, including Bali". The language was new, although the overall level of the advice - "reconsider your need to travel" - is at the level established since the 2002 bombings in Bali. It is the second-highest level of alert, below the blanket warning of "do not travel". Three Australians died in Friday's attacks: Craig Senger, Nathan Verity and Garth McEvoy. Indonesian investigators were yet to identify definitely either of the suicide bombers, national police spokesman Nanan Soekarna told The Age. Investigators were trying to reconstruct the pair's features from their severed heads to establish their identity. There was speculation that Nur Hasbi, also known as Nur Sahid, would be revealed as one of the bombers. His father was visited at his Central Java village by investigators, who may have taken a DNA sample to match with the bomber's badly mutilated corpse. Meanwhile, a laptop believed to have belonged to one of the bombers was found in a room at the Ritz-Carlton. Jakarta Police's Chryshnanda Dwi Laksana said the laptop contained information and codes believed to have been used by the bombers. A room in the Marriott hotel that was the "control centre" of the operation was booked under the name Nurdin Aziz. Terrorism analyst Sidney Jones said she suspected the man was Nur Hasbi, a member of a terror group led by Noordin Top. Australian Federal Police will assist their Indonesian colleagues in deciphering the codes, as well as provide high-tech equipment to give greater clarity to CCTV footage that could help identify the killers. Australian security forces, along with the Malaysian and Singaporean governments, are assisting the Indonesians in an intensified manhunt for Noordin, who has played a role in terrorist attacks in Indonesia going back to the first Bali bombings in 2002. The bombs used in Friday's attacks were similar to an explosive device uncovered at the home of Noordin's father-in-law just three days before the attack. They are also like the bombs used in the second Bali bombings organised by Noordin. Yesterday Foreign Minister Stephen Smith toured the bomb sites and spoke with family members of the Australian victims, including the wife of Austrade commissioner Craig Senger. Mr McEvoy's family flew to Jakarta from Brisbane to reclaim his body, while Mr Verity's wife and father visited the morgue containing the Perth businessman's body. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
