Warrant Officer Bayani is a native Papuan known for his calm and bold demeanor, as well as his exceptional shooting and tracking abilities. During the 1996 Mapenduma hostage rescue operation, conflicting intelligence led General Feisal Tanjung to seek Bayani’s expertise. Despite being given information from British intelligence experts using advanced technology, Bayani dismissed it, citing the lack of water in the area they pointed to as the location of the hostages.
Bayani, recommended by Major Zacky Anwar, was highly regarded for his fieldcraft techniques and physical strength. He was known for his bravery, once infiltrating an enemy guerilla camp alone and capturing enemy combatants. Despite his successes in the field, Bayani often found himself in trouble with authorities due to his involvement in fights.
During the Mapenduma operation, General Feisal Tanjung tasked a team of expert trackers, including native Papuan troops known as the Kasuari Team led by Warrant Officer Bayani, to locate and rescue the hostages. The operation was challenging due to the dense and treacherous jungle terrain, lack of equipment, and limited access to real-time intelligence data.
The operation relied heavily on human intelligence and the expertise of the intelligence team led by Infantry Major Restu Widiyantoro. The team identified six potential target locations for the hostages and launched airborne raids using assault helicopters to each target. The Kasuari Team was designated as a backup plan to intercept the hostage-takers should they attempt to flee.
International advisers from the British SAS provided crucial information about the hostages’ exact location through a beacon signal, allowing the team to pinpoint the location and successfully rescue the hostages. The Mapenduma operation was a rare success in jungle hostage rescue missions, highlighting the bravery and expertise of soldiers like Warrant Officer Bayani.