Military bombards Aceh again
Nani Farida and Teuku Agam Muzakir, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Lhokseumawe
For the second reported time, the Indonesian Military (TNI) dropped bombs and fired rockets at suspected rebel positions in two days of air strikes in Aceh with its Falcon F-16 and OV-10 Bronco bombers, claiming the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) commanders were under siege.
The Air Force deployed three U.S.-made Falcon F-16 jetfighters and two OV-10 Bronco bombers from the airbase in Medan, capital of North Sumatra, to bombard several GAM hideouts in Puuk village, Cot Keueng district, Aceh Besar Regency.
But it was not immediately clear whether the bombs and rockets reached their targets.
On Monday, the jet fighters dropped 14 rockets and several bombs in remote Kemukinan Mbang forest, Syamtalira Bayu district, North Aceh
Following the air strikes, soldiers of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) were deployed to go into the suspected GAM hideout but only found one man, later identified as Muhammad Iqbal, 28.
The soldiers also confiscated a combat rifle and ammunition from Iqbal, as well as a radio transmitter and other items.
One soldier suffered minor injuries from a bomb explosion during the ground assault. He is now being treated at the Army's hospital in Lhokseumawe.
Syamtalira Bayu is known as GAM's bomb detachment and the area is reportedly heavily booby trapped.
The air strike was at least the second one that the TNI has launched to defeat the separatists. The first was launched during the first month after the government declared martial law on May 19.
The military has so far claimed to have killed more than 750 rebels and arrested 1,500 others, many of whom are undergoing police and military investigation or facing trials.
Aceh Military Operation Commander Maj. Gen. Bambang Darmono claimed that hundreds of troops had blockaded the rebels' camp and believed that several GAM commanders, as well as some a hundred-strong rebels, were hiding inside.
"We (military) did some surveillance around the location a week ago before launching the air strike. We predicted that at least, a hundred rebels, including GAM commanders, were inside the camp," Bambang, who led the strike, told reporters on Tuesday.
He, nevertheless, refused to disclose the name of GAM commanders who were currently under the siege, but reportedly, GAM Commander Muzakkir Manaf was among them.
Meanwhile, Tengku Jamaika, GAM spokesman in Pase region, denied that several GAM commanders were currently under siege, saying the military had attacked civilian residences.
There are three villages in Kemukiman Mbang being bombarded: Pulo Meuria, Dayah and Krueng Seupeng.
Jamaika also said that the military has bombarded residential areas in Leubok, Blang Pante and Pante Kiro in Matang Kuli districts within the past few days.
Entering the fourth month of the military campaign, the TNI claimed that it was now intensifying intelligence efforts and targeting GAM leaders.
But in the past several days, no GAM leaders have been captured.
The TNI began the assault on GAM positions with an air strike using British-made Hawk jet planes. Britain expressed objection to the use of its planes against other Indonesians, citing a pre- purchase deal.
Since Indonesia purchased the American F-16 jet fighters in 1996, the war against GAM rebels could become the last time the fighters are used in combat.
Military personnel have complained in the past that it was increasingly difficult to operate the American-made warplanes due to a shortage of spare parts as the U.S. has not yet entirely lifted its arms embargo imposed on Indonesia following its assertion that the TNI was responsible for the rights violations in East Timor in 1999.