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.