By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar
JAKARTA, June 20 (Bernama) -- Indonesia’s military said on Friday that it is prepared to evacuate hundreds of citizens from conflict-hit areas in Iran and Israel, as it deploys a 34-member Crisis Response Team to support the operation.
The evacuation will be carried out as soon as conditions permit, the Indonesian Armed Forces Information Centre (Puspen TNI) said.
Evacuees in Iran will be transported to Baku, Azerbaijan, in a journey that will take around 30 hours, where they will spend two nights in transit before flying to Indonesia. Meanwhile, those in Israel will be evacuated via Amman, Jordan.
“Protecting Indonesians abroad is a tangible expression of the state’s presence in times of emergency. We are prepared to carry out this task with full responsibility,” Puspen TNI head, Major General Kristomei Sianturi said in a statement.
According to the Foreign Ministry, there are 386 Indonesian citizens residing in Iran and 192 in Israel.
Of these, 115 in Iran and 11 in Israel have requested evacuation, most of them students living in high-risk areas.
Armed forces chief General Agus Subiyanto has instructed military units to coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to ensure a smooth operation, with support teams on standby pending developments on the ground.
-- BERNAMA
