PAPUA: Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s Papua region say they have killed at least 13 Indonesian military soldiers after the army sent troops in search of captured New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mehrtens, who was taken hostage in February.
Mehrtens was captured in February after landing a commercial Susi Air charter flight at the remote Paro Airport in Nduga regency.
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However, official reports stated that At least one Indonesian soldier has been killed in a rebel attack while searching for a kidnapped New Zealand pilot in the Papua region.
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In a televised press conference on Sunday, Indonesia’s military said one of their soldiers had been killed while combing the area near where Mehrtens is believed to be held.
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Some soldiers were missing, the military confirmed, but the weather had made it difficult to determine their whereabouts.
The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) said its soldiers attacked two Indonesian military posts in the Yal and Mugi districts in Nduga Regency over the weekend, according to a statement.
The statement said the rebels shot dead 13 Indonesian military and police officials in the Mugi district. One body had been evacuated by the Indonesian military, but rebels were still in possession of 12 bodies, the statement added, without providing proof.
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The troops were part of a detachment sent to locate Phillip Mehrtens, who was taken hostage in February.
The rebel group said they’d proposed peace negotiations with the New Zealand and Indonesian governments, but for two months their letters had been ignored.