Five rebels killed in Aceh

Five rebels killed in Aceh

INDONESIA: Indonesian troops have killed five separatist rebels
in the latest violence in tsunami-ravaged Aceh province, the
military said Saturday.

The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels were killed in a clash in
the Jantho area of Aceh Besar district on Friday, a local
military officer told reporters.

The five guerillas were the latest casualties after Jakarta
lifted last week a year-old state of civil emergency in the
province that had given authorities the power to impose curfews
and other security measures in the province.

The rebels had been coming down from a mountain when they
encountered a group of army soldiers who were in the middle of
Friday prayers, local residents said.

They said the clash created panic among hundreds of refugees
who had moved to the area after surviving the December 26 tsunami
disaster that killed more than 200,000 people.

A GAM spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment.
-- AFP