Newsletter
IFC Director: Carl Cady
June 5, 2002

JIHAD ATTACKS IN POSO

I am in Indonesia and today is Wednesday, June 5th in Indonesia. We just received the urgent report that the Jihad militia have undertaken an attack on Christian's in the Poso (Central Sulawesi) region. Reports coming to us are that as many as 600 jihad are present and that attacks began today at 3:30 p.m. Indonesian time. There was a bus bombed in Toini a village just two miles from Poso. There were two bombs planted on the bus and only one was detonated by it's timer. There would have been more deaths had both of the bombs exploded. There were 16 seriously injured and four dead. It is confirmed that Pastor Freddy Makawimbang a Pentecostal Pastor was one of the dead. One of the serious injuries is a small boy. He is fighting for his life in an area hospital. In another incident on about the 26th of May a husband and wife were killed--one was shot and another beheaded.

In November of 2001 there was an attacks on the Christian's in this region. There was an international outcry demanding the government of Indonesia to send their military to intervene. Many of you prayed during the early days of December 2001 and we saw the Indonesian government respond with troops to stop a planned massacre in the community of Tentena. A deployment of 4,500 troops had been sent to this region and have kept the peace. With the sharp redeployment of many of these troops to other regions and as recently as June 1, 2002 another 1,500 military left the region. The full pullout was scheduled for June 15. It has been only five days after the most recent military pullout that the Jihad militia have begun their attacks on the Christian's in this region.

We are very concerned about the safety for the over 60,000 Christian's in Poso and Tentena. There have been a series of events that have been building up to the most recent bombing and murders. The Christian's are very concerned about their future safety. Are the jihad militia going to resume the terror and proceed with the massacre that failed in December? There are signs of the continuation of the murder and terror that had been happening at the end of 2001.

Please pray to the Lord for the safety of the saint's in the Poso and Tentena regions of Central Sulawesi. Pray for those who were injured in the bus attack and are fighting for their lives. Contact any political leader who could help. We need to have the Indonesian military in this region to guarantee the safety of these defenseless Christian's. Do not wait to pray--please pray now!!! Do not wait to contact your friends and political leaders--we need intervention now.

I will send more information as we get it.

Hebrews 13:3

Carl Cady