Rebels in Indonesia’s Papua say they killed 9 navy troopers

By Reuters: Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s Papua space killed 9 navy personnel after Jakarta did not reply to a request for negotiations, a rebel spokesperson talked about on Sunday.

A navy spokesperson in Papua, Herman Taryaman, confirmed the Saturday assault nonetheless could not affirm the number of troopers killed as communications had been scale back due to unhealthy local weather.

The West Papua National Liberation Army kidnapped a New Zealand pilot in February. The group initially demanded Jakarta recognise the world’s independence nonetheless this month suggested Reuters they’d been able to drop that demand and had been seeking dialogue.

“We asked the Indonesian and New Zealand governments to free the hostages through peaceful negotiations,” rebel spokesperson Sebby Sambom talked about in a recorded message on Sunday.

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“But the Indonesian military and police attacked civilians on March 23. Because of that the TPNPB troops had said they would take revenge and it had already started,” Sambom talked about, together with that stopping was persevering with on Sunday.

Herman denied the allegation of a March assault on civilians, saying the protection forces had been defending civilians who had been chased away by the rebels.

“Efforts to provide assistance and evacuation are still being carried out,” Herman talked about, whereas asking for prayers for navy personnel who’re looking for the captured Susi Air pilot, Phillip Mehrtens.

A low-level battle for independence from Indonesia continued for a few years throughout the distant and resource-rich Papua space, with the battle between armed rebels and security forces intensifying significantly in latest instances, analysts say.

Tension has simmered since a controversial 1969 vote supervised by the United Nations that observed the earlier Dutch territory bought beneath Indonesian administration.

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