Papua TNI Operations Command Foils Armed Group Attack in Mimika

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Spokesperson for the Papua Military Operations Command (Koops TNI Papua), Lieutenant Colonel Wirya Arthadiguna, said that a patrol team thwarted an attack by an armed group in the Tembagapura area, Mimika Regency, Central Papua, on Monday (2/3), with one perpetrator killed and six others detained.

“The armed group fired at personnel who were carrying out security and evacuation operations. The patrol team returned fire in a measured manner, resulting in one attacker killed and six others secured,” Wirya said in a statement from Jakarta, on Wednesday.

He explained the incident began when the armed group opened fire around a residential area. Officers who received the report moved to the location to secure the situation.

In the incident, a housewife suffered gunshot wounds to her hands and feet as a result of the attack. The patrol personnel then evacuated the victim to a health facility for medical treatment.

In addition to detaining six suspected members of the armed group, authorities also seized a number of evidentiary items: a FN pistol, three rounds of 9 mm ammunition, a air rifle, bow and arrows, and a power bank and other items still being catalogued.

The Papua TNI Koops emphasised that security in the area would continue to be reinforced to ensure public safety and maintain security stability in Central Papua.

The quick response step, according to him, is part of a measured security enforcement effort to protect civilians from armed group threats in the area.