Indonesian army to set up unit on biological warfare

By Erric Permana

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) - Indonesian Military has said it will form a special unit to deal with biological warfare.

According to Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, the COVID-19 pandemic is a form of global attack that threatens all lives.

“We are aware that the threat of the pandemic has awakened us about the importance of having a special counter-biowarfare unit,” said Tjahjanto in a video published on Sunday.

"We will form such a unit and develop a system that will monitor and mitigate biological threats,” said the commander said.

The military will prepare a hospital ship equipped with isolation rooms for soldiers infected with COVID-19.

“We have thought how to handle a situation where the COVID-19 pandemic massively attacks our soldiers in the field,” he added.

It will equip the special unit by recruiting health workers, including doctors, pharmacists and microbiologists.

Tjahjanto also confirmed that the construction of a laboratory has been included in their plan.

“We aim to understand the disease thoroughly and prepare for another outbreak in the future,” he said.

*Writing by Maria Elisa Hospita from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian language services.