Two killed in Poso gunfire

Two killed in Poso gunfire

Fresh gunfire erupted in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso late on Sunday, killing two civilian residents and wounding several others.

"One of the fatalities was identified as Yafet, a retired Indonesian Military (TNI) officer, while the other victim and the injured are still being identified by the police," Antara news agency quoted Udin, a resident of Kayamanya subdistrict in Poso, as saying.

The gun battle, which erupted on Sunday evening, continued through to Monday and had reportedly extended to the nearby subdistrict of Tegalrejo.

Local police, with the help of TNI troops, have been deployed to the disputing area.

"There are hundreds of police and TNI personnel deployed in Ranonuncu and Tegalrejo subdistricts to halt the gun battles," said a duty officer at the Poso Police precinct office, as quoted by the news agency.

The officer also confirmed that two civilian residents had died in the crossfire.

The situation in Poso was tense on Monday and government, school and business activities operated at a lower pace than usual.

It was the third gunfight in Poso over the past week. The first incident occurred on Nov. 7 in the subdistricts of Sayo and Kayamanya. No fatalities were reported.

The second gunfight erupted on Nov. 9 in Gebangrejo subdistrict, killing a civilian resident and wounding four others. --Antara