Elite Military Unit Deployed to Combat Forest Fires in Indonesia's Way Kambas National Park

Indonesia's military has deployed its elite 'Tim Alfa' unit to tackle challenging forest and land fires within Way Kambas National Park in Lampung. This special unit, known for its high mobility and tactical capabilities in difficult terrain, was dispatched following President Prabowo Subianto's directive to expedite fire containment efforts in the region.

According to Major General TNI Kristomei Sianturi, the Tim Alfa is a small unit designed for tactical missions in harsh environments, including disaster response. "This team has high mobility capabilities to reach isolated areas," Sianturi stated, adding that personnel are trained for freefall parachuting to access remote locations.

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TNI AD has prepared Tim Alfa, a small unit formed to carry out tactical missions in difficult terrain in disaster management.

The fires initially broke out on August 21 in the Kuala Penet Resort area, burning about 673 hectares before being largely contained. However, new fires emerged on August 23 in a different location near Braja Luhur Village, expanding the total affected area. As of Monday, the cumulative burned area reached approximately 774.14 hectares.

During a coordination meeting, Lampung Governor Rahmat Mirzani Djausal reported that about 100.7 hectares remained a focus for firefighting efforts, with 79 hotspots still detected across Lampung. President Prabowo, noting the challenges in reaching fire sites, also decided to increase the number of water-bombing helicopters available for the operation, as two initially deployed helicopters were deemed insufficient.

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This team has high mobility capabilities to reach isolated areas. This team is also supported by personnel with freefall (military freefall) capabilities to penetrate isolated or hard-to-reach areas.