Brimob suspected of killing 3 women in Aceh

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

Three women were shot to death and one girl was wounded by an armed group of men in Meunasah Blang Kandang village, Muara Dua district, North Aceh Friday evening.

The victims were identified as Fatimah Hanafiah, 40, Kartini Abdul Wahab, 36, and Fitridah Rasyid, 32. They all bore gunshot wounds to the upper body and head.

Fatima's daughter, Meutia Riki, 13, received a gunshot wound to her left shoulder and is being treated at Cut Meutiah hospital in Lhokseumawe.

Quoting eyewitnesses, Hamzah, chairman of the Data and Investigation Commission of the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA) said Saturday that the culprits came in a Toyota Kijang minivan and went to the house of Fitridah first.

After talking for a while, the executioners shot Fitridah. The culprits then killed Fatimah and Kartini, both neighbors of Fitridah.

Their husbands were not around when the shooting incident took place.

"They were shot in front of their own houses," Hamzah said.

Eyewitnesses, who suspected six members of the Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) to be behind the killing, identified one of the men as a police sergeant with the Police Mobile Brigade.

Police spokesman D. Achmad, however, strongly denied the allegation and blamed the Aceh Free Movement (GAM) for the incident.

"As always, after killing civilians, they (GAM) wash their hands," Achmad said Saturday.

GAM's spokesman for the Pasee region, Abu Jamaika accused the military of being responsible for the incident.

"The Indonesian military shot to death three women because they have brothers in GAM," Abu Jamaika said.

After the shooting incident, the six armed men sped away from Meunasah Blang Kandang village, located just three kilometers from Lhokseumawe.

In a separate incident, one Mobile Brigade officer was killed and four others were wounded Thursday evening in an ambush by GAM fighters in the Kapur Mountain, Trumon district, South Aceh regency.

Kartiwi Daud, the district GAM spokesman, told AFP Saturday that GAM was responsible for the attack but said three Brimob members died. He said two Mobile Brigade trucks crashed into a ravine after GAM opened fire.