Expert writes off claim Indonesian jihadis to help repel Israelis

Claims by Indonesian militants that thousands of jihadis have committed themselves to fighting the Israelis in Gaza have been dismissed as unrealistic propaganda by a leading security expert.

The militant Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI) has claimed that more than 4,000 people have signed up since the recruitment drive started on Friday.

'We can only send 1,000, so we are still going through the names of those who volunteered,' FPI secretary general Sobry Lubis said. Training was under way, he said, but would not say when the warriors would be sent to fight Israel.

The FPI's Aceh branch, among the most active in recruitment, has told local media that the fighters will travel via Egypt. 'Most of the fighters who have enrolled are raising the money for the trip themselves', he said.

But Sidney Jones, a senior Southeast Asia security analyst based in Jakarta with the International Crisis Group, dismissed the claims.

'I doubt this is going to materialise. Groups such as the FPI have made these claims before and nothing has ever happened,' she said. 'There is no indication of a network that could support Indonesians travelling to the Middle East, and there are also serious constraints relating to funds.'