Troops kill five more alleged rebels in Aceh

Agencies, Banda Aceh/Meulaboh

Five more suspected rebels were killed in clashes between Indonesian Military (TNI) troops and members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Aceh province, military officers said on Sunday.

Troops shot dead a GAM subdistrict military commander during a two-hour battle in the hilly area of Cot Meureuhong, Aceh Besar district, on Saturday, said First Lt. Kadir, who led 23 troops in a raid on the guerrillas.

Aceh military spokesman Lt. Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki said two suspected rebels were also shot dead in a clash with troops in Idie Rayeuk, East Aceh district, on Saturday.

In another gunfight with rebels, this time in Bakongan, South Aceh, on Saturday, soldiers killed a suspected guerrilla and recovered ammunition from him, he said.

In addition, Basuki said troops had shot dead a GAM member in a raid on a suspected rebel base in Mancang, Pidie regency, on Saturday, adding that another rebel had also been captured alive during the raid.

A number of clashes between troops and guerrillas were also reported in the regencies of North Aceh and Pidie, but there were no reports of casualties, he said.

The military's claims were unable to be verified independently as GAM representatives could not be reached for comment.

Basuki also said that troops on Friday managed to free three out of four school teachers who had been kidnapped by GAM members in Meureubo, West Aceh.

The three, who had been abducted the previous day, were freed after a raid by troops on a suspected GAM hideout, he said.

A fourth teacher remained in the hands of GAM rebels, who had been demanding a ransom of Rp 30 million (US$3,500) for the release of all four captives.

The teachers were reportedly kidnapped on Friday morning from their school in the West Aceh town of Meureubo, while the military launched the rescue operation on Saturday afternoon at the hideout, about 15 kilometers away.

Helped by a tip-off from local villagers, the TNI troops stormed the rebel hideout and rescued the three school teachers.

A firefight broke out, Basuki said, during which the three teachers managed to escape. No one was hurt in the fighting, but the troops recovered ammunition, documents and mobile phone numbers belonging to rebel leaders, he added.

The rebels, for their part, have been blamed for a wave of kidnappings and killings of prominent local figures, including teachers, journalists and government officials.

Another Aceh military spokesman, Colonel Ditya Sudarsono, said that as of early on Sunday, the number of rebels killed since the government launched its massive operation in May to crush GAM stood at 870.

More than 1,800 had been captured or had surrendered, he added. The military had lost 47 soldiers while 15 police officers had also been killed.

Aceh police have said that at least 319 civilians have been killed during the military operation, while 108 are missing. They did not say which side was to blame for the casualties.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the violence in Aceh since GAM began to fight for independence for the resource- rich province on Sumatra island in 1976.

The separatists, however, say they have suffered only light casualties and that most of the victims have been villagers caught up in the army's search-and-destroy operations.

GAM's claims are backed by international human rights groups, which accuse the military of committing atrocities in Aceh.

The martial law authorities have imposed tight controls on reporting from Aceh, barring access to rebel-controlled areas and pressuring reporters to provide only the government side of the story.