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