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JAKARTA : Indonesian security forces stormed hotels and airports for simulated clashes with masked gunmen on Sunday in a massive anti-terror drill ordered in the wake of last month's deadly assault on Mumbai.
Sunday's exercise was the biggest part of a series of drills launched this week with nearly 7,000 military and police personnel involved in simulated attacks and hostage-takings.
Heavily armed anti-terror police swarmed a five-star hotel in Jakarta where masked gunmen carried out a simulated attack like the ones in Mumbai which left 172 people dead.
A military helicopter was seen flying over the hotel building with anti-terror police squads descending on a rope to the roof in a simulated bid to rescue hostages.
Other drills this week saw simulated sea-based attacks in the strategic Malacca Strait, and attacks in airports, sea ports and Jakarta's stock exchange building.
Indonesia has a history of violent bombings by Islamist extremists, but has not suffered a major attack since the 2005 suicide bombings on Bali that killed 20 people.
The attacks on India's financial capital encouraged Indonesia's president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to mobilise its security forces in anti-terror drills.
Top security minister Widodo Adisucipto said that following the drills Indonesia will revise its anti-terror security measures to improve its capacity to tackle possible attacks.
"We will for sure make some evaluations based on this week's exercises; what needs to be improved in order to have a more effective mechanism and entity in tackling terror attacks," the minister told reporters after witnessing the drill.
Widodo said such drills would now be held annually. - AFP/ms
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