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INDONESIA-UNREST
Indonesian soldier killed in fresh Papua attack
JAKARTA, July 21, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – An Indonesian soldier was killed in a
gun battle with separatist rebels in the restive province of Papua as he
guarded a building site, the military has said.
A group of soldiers had been watching over the construction of a bridge in
the remote Nduga district, where troops were also attacked last year.
“It happened very quickly, a series of shots were fired from behind the
bush. It was a hit-and-run style,” Papua military spokesman Muhammad Aidi
said in a statement late Saturday.
A soldier, Usman Hambelo, was hit by a bullet in his waist and died a few
hours later, with a helicopter unable to evacuate him due to poor weather,
Aidi added.
The soldiers called off their hunt for the attackers due to dangerous
ravines and dense jungle surrounding the area.
The military believes the attack was orchestrated by the National
Liberation Army of West Papua (TPNPB), which claimed responsibility for
killing at least 19 construction workers at a remote jungle camp last year,
Aidi said.
The employees of state-owned contractor Istaka Karya had been building
bridges and roads as part of efforts to boost infrastructure in the
impoverished region.
The rebel group was also suspected of being behind an attack in March where
three soldiers were shot dead.
Indonesia routinely blames separatists for violence in Papua and
conflicting accounts are common.
Jakarta keeps a tight grip on the resource-rich region, which experienced
several spasms of violence this summer including the killing of three local
people, allegedly by rebels.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1119 hrs