Military kills two rebels in Papua
Military kills two rebels in Papua
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura Papua
Two unidentified rebels of the Papua Independence Organization
(OPM) were killed over a two-day gunfight with soldiers who were
hunting down those who killed security members and stole
munitions from the Jayawijaya military district last month.
Maj. G.T. Situmorang, spokesman for the Trikora Military
Command overseeing security in Papua, confirmed on Friday that
the two were shot in gunfights between rebels and soldiers in
Koyawage, near Wamena, on Wednesday and Thursday.
"The first gunfight occurred on Wednesday when the Army's
joint force was ambushed by around 60 rebels from a hill and a
river. The gunfight lasted two hours," he said.
Afterwards, he said, the joint force grouping members of the
Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), Strategic Reserve Command
(Kostrad) and the local military, checked the location and found
a dead rebel armed with a Mauser pistol.
"The second gunfight occurred on Thursday when the joint force
saw a group of armed civilians enter Koyawage village, and one
more rebel was killed in the second gunfight," he said, saying
that the security forces also seized an M-16, one of the 29
rifles stolen from the Jayawijaya military district on April 4.
The two bodies were brought to the regional general hospital
in Wamena to be handed over to their families.
While hunting down the perpetrators of the arsenal robbery,
the local military detained three soldiers who were allegedly
involved in the incident. The thieves, with the help of the
soldiers, killed two soldiers of the Jayawijaya military district
before stealing 29 rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition
from the arsenal. But a cache of rifles stashed near the local
military headquarters has already been found.
"We will continue the manhunt until we recover all arms stolen
from the arsenals," said Wamena military district chief Lt. Col.
Mansyursyah on Friday, as quoted by Antara.
The Military Police unit in Jayapura is still investigating
six other suspects from the Jayawijaya military district, while
the local police are investigating seven civilians, including a
Mikhael Haselo, who were believed to be behind the robbery.
"With the recent finding of the M-16 rifle, we have retrieved
22 rifles altogether," said Situmorang.
A group of soldiers and a group of rebels were also involved
in a gunfight when local officials, including Jayawijaya military
district chief Col. Agus Mulyadi, made an official visit to
Koyawage on May 1, but no casualties were reported.
Both local religious leaders and human rights activists have
called on the military to remain extra cautious in the manhunt to
avoid any civilian victims.