Not quite an anti-jihad alliance, but a good sign. From the Jakarta Post, with thanks to L:
JAKARTA – U.S. Navy Seals and Indonesian forces are practicing anti-terrorism drills, including boarding ships and battling pirates, in a palm-fringed string of resort islands near Jakarta, officials said on Monday. The programme, aimed at improving the ability of the two nations’ forces to work closely, was part of a broader effort by Washington to boost regional security, a U.S. official said.
“We are not using any lethal assets. It involves only non-lethal assets,” said Max Kwak, a spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Jakarta.
“The war on terror is also part of it,” he added, but declined to say where the drills were being held or how many U.S. troops were involved.
Piracy is a big concern for Asian and Western security forces who warn that terrorists could exploit lawlessness in the region, particularly in the key Malacca Strait shipping lane, to launch a crippling attack on global trade.
Fears among some states bordering the strait that the United States was seeking a policing role were a factor behind the launch last year of coordinated patrols by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
“This event is an exercise, not a joint operation at sea between the Indonesian military and the U.S. Pacific Command,” said Lt. Col. Edi Fernandi, a spokesman for the Indonesian navy’s western fleet…