JAKARTA, March 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Three Indonesian soldiers were killed in a gun battle with armed separatist rebels in restive Papua province, where over a dozen construction workers were massacred last year, the military said.
The soldiers had just arrived in Yigi village in Nduga district on Thursday morning to guard the construction of a bridge when they were attacked by the separatists.
“They were suddenly attacked by a large group, between 50 to 70 people,” the military spokesman for Papua region Muhammad Aidi said.
“Three of our members died in the attack after getting shot in their chest and back,” Aidi said.
The military managed to take control of the situation and forced the rebels to flee.
The body of one separatist rebel was found at the scene.
“We believe between seven to 10 people from their side have also been killed but their bodies had been taken away,” Aidi said.
The bodies of the soldiers were flown to a hospital in Timika city, Aidi said.
The military believe the attack was orchestrated by the National Liberation Army of West Papua (TPNPB), which claimed responsibility for the December attack on construction workers at a remote jungle camp, he added.
At least 19 employees of state-owned contractor Istaka Karya were massacred by the rebels when they were building bridges and roads as part of efforts to boost infrastructure in the impoverished region, the military has said.
A former Dutch colony, Papua declared itself independent in 1961, but neighbouring Indonesia took control of the resource-rich region two years later on the condition it hold an independence referendum.
The subsequent vote to stay part of Indonesia was widely considered a sham. — NNN-AGENCIES
