Six civilians, 18 rebels killed in Aceh skirmish

Agence France-Presse, Banda Aceh, Aceh

A fresh round of violence involving the government forces and separatist rebels in Aceh has left 24 people dead, including 18 guerrillas, police and the military said Sunday.

Troops shot dead four rebels of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) during a clash in Kuta Binjee, East Aceh on Sunday, Aceh Military Spokesman Ahmad Yani Basuki said. One soldier was wounded, he added.

Another military spokesman Ditya Sudarsono said that four men were found dead with gunshot wounds at two separate locations in North Aceh and East Aceh on Sunday.

Police raided a suspected hideout of GAM and shot dead two alleged local rebel commanders in Cot Krueng in the district of Aceh Besar Saturday, Banda Aceh city police chief Alfons Toluhula said.

The two local commanders were identified as Sanusi alias Cut Teng, 39, who is responsible for the Darussalam area and Sabirin, responsible for the Ulee Kareng area, he said.

Alfons said that Cut Teng was the mastermind behind the gunning down of Safwan Idris, the chancellor of the Ar-Raniry Institute of Islamic Religion in Banda Aceh in 2001. Idris was shot dead in his car.

The raid followed information about Cut Teng's whereabouts obtained from one of his captured subordinates, Junaidi, 35. Juanidi was captured just hours before the raid.

Meanwhile, a 48-man strong joint police and army troop raided a house in Paloh Gadeng, North Aceh district on Saturday and shot dead another two suspected GAM guerrillas, the North Aceh district police chief, Eko Daniyanto said.

The two guerrillas were shot after resisting arrest.

Basuki said that on Saturday, a total of 10 more rebels where shot dead in separate clashes across Aceh.

The clashes took place in East Aceh, North Aceh, Aceh Tamiang and Aceh Besar districts, he said.

Basuki also accused guerrillas of killing a 60-year-old retired army soldier who is the village chief in Cot Baye in Aceh Besar late on Saturday evening and a teenager at his home in Kuta Makmur, North Aceh.

Rebel gunmen also shot and wounded a housewife in Tanjung Jawa, in North Aceh on Saturday, he said.

The military's latest figures released on Sunday show a total of 653 rebels killed since the armed forces on May 19 launched a massive operation to crush GAM. The rebels say many of those killed are civilians.

The military says more than 1,400 rebels have been arrested or surrendered during the same period while the army and police lost a total of 55 men.

GAM has been fighting for independence since 1976. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the resource-rich province on Sumatra island since then.