The Indonesian military (TNI) said Friday it had killed three

The Indonesian military (TNI) said Friday it had killed three rebels in war-torn Aceh province, where troops have been battling separatist guerrillas for nine months.

The three Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels were shot dead during a clash with 12 soldiers in South Aceh district on Thursday, said Captain Candra Purnama, a local military spokesman.

Troops seized an automatic rifle from the three, all in their 20s, Purnama said, adding that soldiers were still chasing seven other rebels who fled after the raid.

No GAM officials could be immediately reached for comment.

The report followed an announcement by another military spokesman Thursday that the Indonesian military had stopped publishing figures for killed rebels.

Rights groups have questioned whether all those in the casualty count were actually rebels, partly because the number of weapons the military seized from the dead was less than half the number of casualties. -- AFP.