Six troops killed by Aceh rebels

Six troops killed by Aceh rebels

Ibnu Matnoor and Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

Six members of the Indonesian Air Force's special forces
(Paskhas) were killed in an ambush by members of the separatist
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) near Iskandar Muda Airport in
Blangbintang, Aceh Besar regency, on Wednesday night, an officer
said on Thursday.

Spokesman for the Aceh Regional Military Command Lt. Col.
Firdaus Komarno said the troops were on the way home after
seeking supplies in a market in Krueng Raya, two kilometers away
from the airport.

Firdaus said the six fatalities were Pvt. Gunawan Siahaan,
Pvt. Tarmizi, Pvt. Widodo, Pvt. Basuki, Pvt. Suparno, and Pvt.
Budi Marwoto.

The rebels also took five SS-1 rifles from the troops.

According to Firdaus, the six troops were riding on a Kijang
pickup when GAM launched the attack at 8 p.m.

GAM spokesman for the Banda Aceh area, Tengku Maksalmina,
confirmed on Thursday that his members had attacked four military
vehicles patrolling the village of Montasik, near the airport,
some 20 kilometers east of Banda Aceh.

Three of the vehicles managed to escape, but the fourth was
left behind. All six troops in the pickup were killed.

"We also took five rifles from them," Maksalmina added.

In a separate incident on Wednesday, an Indonesian soldier and
one alleged Acehnese rebel were killed during a gunfight that
broke out in the village of Northwest Hagu, Lhokseumawe, North
Aceh.

Military (TNI) spokesman in Lhokseumawe Maj. Zaenal Mutaqin
confirmed that the gunfight had taken place at 3:30 p.m. local
time as six soldiers patrolled in the village, which is located
only one kilometer away of downtown Lhokseumawe.

Seeing the military patrol, three local youths immediately
fled. One of them entered a house. Two soldiers chased the youth,
who then opened fire.

First Sgt. M. Jafar was severely wounded by the armed youth,
identified as Bustaman, 22. But, before Jafar died, random shoots
he released killed Bustaman.

A Colt pistol and 24 bullets were recovered from the suspected
rebel.

Jafar, meanwhile, was brought to the Lilawangsa Military
Hospital, but to no avail.

Mutaqin said Bustaman was believed to be a GAM member who had
set several school buildings ablaze over the weekend.

GAM spokesman for North Aceh Tengku Jamaika admitted that
Bustaman was a member of the separatist group. "He was assaulted
inside the house," Jamaika told The Jakarta Post.

He claimed Bustaman had gunned down two soldiers. One died and
the other was in critical condition.

Jamaika denied the accusation that Bustaman was responsible
for the burning of several school buildings in Lhokseumawe.

"The conflagrations were engineered by the military to fool
the Acehnese and defame GAM," said Jamaika.

Another incident took place in Krueng Sabe, West Aceh, when
the police's Mobile Brigade killed three GAM members in a
gunfight in the village of Paya Seumantok.

Local police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Dade Ahmad said one of
the GAM members was identified as Muslim alias Alexander, 20,
while the other two remained unidentified.

Alexander, known to be a GAM operational commander, has been
the target of a military hunt for some time.

The police seized an FN pistol, bullets, and other military
equipment.

Officer Dade added that Sabaruddin Ahmad, 50, a village head
in Samalanga subdistrict, Bireun Regency, was slain by two
motorists, believed to be GAM members.

No confirmation or denial was forthcoming from GAM.

The continuing violence in the province of Aceh could
seriously disrupt the peace agreement reached between Jakarta and
GAM representatives in Geneva last month.

A delegation of the Switzerland-based Henry Dunant Center
(HDC) arrived on Wednesday in the troubled Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam, formerly known as Aceh, province to evaluate whether
the peace agreement had been effective.

The arrival of the delegation was important to ensure that
peace was restored in the province after decades of war.

Three members of the delegation, Gen. Rupert Smith, Andrew
Marshall, and David Gorman, took part in the dialog between
Jakarta and GAM in Geneva last month.

The delegation was due to depart for Jakarta on Thursday
afternoon.