Thousands of residents hunt down Aceh rebels

Thousands of residents hunt down Aceh rebels

Agence France-Presse, Banda Aceh, Aceh

Some 3,000 residents in Indonesia's war-torn Aceh province on Monday launched a massive hunt for separatists in the province after a local religious leader was allegedly abducted by the rebel group, residents said.

The hunt for the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels -- which is supported by the military -- was carried out by residents from seven villages in the Tangan-tangan area of West Aceh, a resident who asked not to be named told reporters.

The villagers, armed with daggers, decided to take matters into their own hands following the abduction of a 60-year old religious leader in the area by three unindentified men last Saturday, the resident said.

The hunt began with residents scouring areas covering the Suak and Kila mountains early on Monday. As of Monday night, no reports of clashes between residents and the rebels had been reported.

Capt. Syahrial, a local military chief, said the presence of his soldiers in the group was to "protect the residents because they are facing armed GAM rebels."

Also on Monday, humanitarian workers said they found three bodies bearing gunshot and torture wounds in the Kuala Batee area of West Aceh on Sunday.

Soldiers on Sunday shot dead a man believed to be a rebel in the Kuta Makmur area of North Aceh, said military spokesman Ahmad Yani Basuki on Monday.

Jakarta unilaterally pulled out of a peace agreement with GAM, imposed martial law and launched the military operation after the breakdown of last-ditch peace talks in Tokyo. It accused GAM of not respecting the pact.

The military's latest figures released on Sunday show a total of 653 rebels killed since May 19 but do not list civilian casualties. GAM says many of those killed were 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.