Five more rebels killed in Aceh

Five more rebels killed in Aceh

BANDA ACEH, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam: Troops have killed five rebels fighting for the independence of Aceh province, where a major offensive against separatist guerrillas is in its 19th month, the military said on Friday.

Four Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels were killed in a skirmish in East Aceh district on Thursday, said provincial military spokesman Ari Mulya Asnawi.

Police shot dead the fifth guerrilla in the city of Medan in neighboring North Sumatra province after he tried to escape from his hideout, Asnawi said.

An estimated 12,000 people -- many of them civilians -- have been killed since GAM members began their insurgency in 1976, with rights groups accusing both troops and the guerrillas of widespread abuses.

Jakarta launched a major military operation to try to crush the rebels after peace talks broke down in May 2003.

The military says more than 2,300 rebels have been killed since then. Rights groups say many of the victims were civilians, a charge denied by the government. --AFP