Indonesia deploys 1,500 soldiers to battle Borneo wildfires

Indonesia mobilized additional military personnel on August 22, 2026, to combat wildfires ravaging Borneo. Between January and July, fires consumed over 200,000 hectares, with smoke creating hazardous air quality across the region.

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1,500 Indonesian soldiers deployed to fight Borneo wildfires

rss:scmpinternational38d ago kagi ↗

Indonesia is deploying an additional 1,500 soldiers to Borneo, an official said on Saturday, to help tackle wildfires that have burned through swathes of the island and created thick smog choking some areas. Fires between January and July burned over 200,000 hectares of land – an area three times the size of the capital Jakarta, the government said this week, as dry conditions driven by a powerful