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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Conflict & Security

Prabowo Orders Military to Prepare Special Unit for Forest Fires in South Sumatra

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

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  • President Prabowo Subianto ordered the Indonesian military (TNI) to prepare a special unit to combat forest fires in South Sumatra.
  • The special unit, potentially an elite tactical team, will access hard-to-reach fire locations, supplementing air and ground support including helicopters and excavators.
  • The move comes as Indonesia intensifies efforts against forest fires, with the national disaster agency predicting peak risk in August-September 2026.

President Prabowo Subianto has directed the Indonesian military (TNI) to assemble a specialized unit capable of reaching remote forest fire locations in South Sumatra. This initiative aims to bolster efforts against the "karhutla" (forest and land fires), particularly in areas inaccessible to conventional ground personnel.

During a coordination meeting in Palembang, Prabowo inquired about deploying an "Alfa Team," a special military tactical unit, to tackle the fires. The president also requested additional water-bombing helicopters for South Sumatra and instructed the immediate deployment of available TNI helicopters. Ground support will be enhanced with 20 excavators for canal construction and 500 pumps and hoses for water supply.

I want to ask the TNI Commander, can we conduct a trial deployment of the Alfa Team here as well?

— Prabowo SubiantoPresident Prabowo Subianto inquiring about deploying a special military unit during a coordination meeting on forest fires.

Prabowo emphasized the need for rapid fire suppression, urging field personnel to report any challenges promptly for swift government assistance. "Let us strive to immediately extinguish the 1,900 hectares of land that are still burning," he stated. The Indonesian military commander, Gen. Agus Subiyanto, confirmed readiness to prepare the special unit, suggesting capabilities like freefall, paramotor, and fast-roping for difficult terrain.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) forecasts the highest risk of forest fires between August and September 2026 due to the strong El Niño phenomenon. Six provinces, including South Sumatra, have been designated as priorities for fire suppression operations.

Let us strive to immediately extinguish the 1,900 hectares of land that are still burning.

— Prabowo SubiantoPresident Prabowo Subianto urging rapid fire suppression efforts.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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