SUMMARY

Laskar Jihad officially established in January 2000 in response to the Muslim casualties arising from the non-state conflict between Christians and Muslims in the Maluku islands of East Indonesia. When Laskar Jihad joined the conflict, it entered a new phase with greater aggression being exhibited by local Muslims from Maluku as well as one-sided violence perpetrated by the group.

The tactics of Laskar Jihad consisted mainly of entering Christian villages and burning houses and churches, attacking with grenades and bombs, or shooting civilians. In April of 2002, Laskar Jihad rejected a peace deal that had been made in February of the same year and attacked a Christian neighborhood, killing approximately 12 people. The one-sided violence was perpetrated in Maluku and Maluku Utara (North Maluku) province.

Laskar Jihad first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 2000, when the one-sided violence resulted in over 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in May that year when the group attacked two mainly Christian villages by setting houses ablaze, which led to the killing of more than 40 civilians.