Timika, Papua (ANTARA) - A member of Lekagak Telenggen-led separatist terrorist group was shot dead in a gunfight with a joint team of police and military personnel in Maki village, Ilaga sub-district, Puncak district, Papua on Friday.
The joint team managed to bring the situation under control in Ilaga and surrounding areas following the gunfight, chief of the public relations task force of Nemangkawi Operations, Senior Commissioner M Iqbal Alqudusy, informed in a written statement released on Friday.
No injury or fatality was reported on the joint team's side, he said.
The armed rebel who was killed in the gunfight was identified as Welenggen Tabuni, he added.
Another rebel managed to escape towards the Mura area following the exchange of fire and security personnel have launched a hunt for him, Alqudusy said.
The joint team seized a separatist flag (Bintang Kejora), four 5.56-mm rounds of ammunition, a knife, a citizen identity card bearing Tabuni’s name, and several documents during the operation, he added.
Meanwhile, public activities in Ilaga city, starting from the Aminggaru Airport to the traditional market, have remained normal and have even gotten increasingly busy, Alqudusy said.
Over the past five months, Papua has borne the brunt of a string of violent attacks by armed separatist terrorists targeting security personnel and innocent civilians in districts such as Puncak, Intan Jaya, Yahukimo, and Pegunungan Bintang.
The armed groups often employ hit-and-run tactics against Indonesian security personnel, while unleashing acts of terror against civilians to instill fear among the people. (INE)
EDITED BY INE/Fardah Assegaf
