Following his appointment as the leader of the operation, his uncle, Tjilik Riwut, who at that time was the Governor of Central Kalimantan, contacted Oevaang Oeray, the Governor of West Kalimantan, and requested him to assist Isam in the operation. A declaration of war against the North Kalimantan Communist Party was announced in the Indonesian state radio on behalf of Oevaang on 21 August 1967.
