Three die in attack on police post near Poso

Three die in attack on police post near Poso

JAKARTA (JP): Three people died as a group of armed civilians
attacked a police post in Sayo village, near the town of Poso in
Central Sulawesi, in the early hours of Tuesday.

But the police have yet to identify the attackers and their
motives for the predawn assault.

The three fatalities were a police officer, a local woman and
one of the attackers.

The Antara news agency identified two of the victims as Second
Brig. Muslimin and Rina, who both sustained serious wounds on
their bodies. The third fatality remains unidentified.

Two policemen, Second Brig. Adi Iswanto and Second Brig.
Ismoyo, were seriously injured. Both were among 10 policemen who
guarded the post in the village.

Central Sulawesi Police detective chief Sr. Comr. Andi Ahmad
Abdi confirmed the incident, saying that the police were still
searching for the armed civilians involved in the attack. They
were believed to have fled the scene and were hidden in the hills
near the village.

Abdi said that about 50 men armed with various sharp weapons
attacked the Sayo village police post, east of Poso at around 5
a.m., when some of the policemen had just finished performing
predawn prayers and were completely unprepared for the attack.

"It seems that the armed group had planned the attack," he
said.

He quoted witnesses as saying that 20 of the attackers stormed
the security post while others waited and stood guard in the
vicinity.

A nurse at state-run Poso General Hospital, Nursiah, said
officer Muslimin died of severe slash wounds to his back,
stomach, and hands. All of his fingers were dismembered.

"From the wounds, it seems that they continued stabbing him
with sharp weapons although he was already dead," she said.

Meanwhile, the other fatality, Rina, died of slash wounds to
her head and back.

"I have received information that Rina was attacked when she
was leaving a nearby mosque (after performing predawn prayers).
The attackers proceeded to assault her with sharp weapons," she
said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, uneasy calm returned to Poso but new
minor clashes broke out in Poso Pesisir district between village
residents of Tabaluku and Tangkura. There were limited details on
the incident and no immediate reports on fatalities.

Poso has been hit by a series of clashes since December 1999,
initially triggered by a minor scuffle between members of Muslim
and Christian communities.

After several series of clashes, violence broke out again in
May of last year, claiming the lives of more than 250 people and
resulting in thousands of buildings being destroyed or torched.
(27/emf)