Aceh violence kills eight more people

Aceh violence kills eight more people

Agence France-Presse, Banda Aceh, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

Three suspected separatist rebels have been shot dead in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and residents have found five other bodies with gunshot wounds, the military said on Tuesday.

The three suspected members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) were shot dead during a raid by soldiers and police at Batiya in North Aceh on Monday, said military spokesman Lt. Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki.

He said residents found the bodies of four men, all with gunshot wounds, in two separate locations at Julok in East Aceh on Monday. The corpse of a young man with a gunshot wound was found the same day at Idi Rayeuk in East Aceh.

Two armed men suspected of belonging to GAM abducted a local public figure at Peukan Baro in Pidie district late Monday, Yani said.

Two guerrillas surrendered to the military at Darussalam in Aceh Besar district the same day, he added.

The military says more than 900 GAM rebels have been killed since a major operation began on May 19 to crush the movement. Sixty-six members of the security forces have died.

More than 1,800 other rebels have been arrested or have surrendered in the operation.

The military has also said that some 304 civilians have died but did not say who was responsible for the deaths.