A thousand people expected in Jakarta to protest against police operations in which 15 alleged Islamic militants were killed. The International Crisis Group warns that Poso could become Jemaah Islamiah’s new terrorist base.

Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Members of Indonesia's hardline Islamic fringe are planning a rally to protest the killings of 15 alleged Muslim militants by police on the country's conflict-ridden Sulawesi island.

Shodiq Ramadhan from the Islamic Forum - an umbrella organization that groups conservative Muslims - said he expected that up to 1,000 people would show up outside the National Human Rights Commission in the capital, Jakarta, to denounce "police brutality against Muslims."

Police have come under criticism by Islamic groups and politicians following Monday's raid, but the vice president, other government officials and most of the country's media have supported the operation.

Police say they shot the men after being attacked as they entered a part of Poso town, Central Sulawesi that militants had taken over in recent weeks. They recovered large numbers of guns, bombs and ammunitions.

In a new report, the International Crisis Group (ICG) alleges that Poso in Sulawesi is now drawing JI loyalists from around Indonesia, some of whom have been trained in Afghanistan and the Philippines.

ICG South-East Asia director Sidney Jones says Poso's inter-religious conflict could shift to an anti-government focus. "They refer to Poso as a secure base, using the same word for base that's in Al Qaeda because they believe you can establish an Islamic community there that lives by Islamic law and use religious outreach to develop a mass base, and that's the importance of Poso," he said.

• INDONESIA