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Police raid airstrip in Indonesia's Papua, 3 killed
Sun, Jun 07, 2009
Reuters

JAKARTA, Indonesia - At least three people were killed after police from Indonesia's anti-terror unit stormed an isolated airstrip occupied by a group of unidentified gunmen in Papua province, state news agency Antara reported on Sunday.

The three killed included two suspected separatist rebels after failed negotiations to end an occupation of the airstrip, Papua Police Chief F.X. Bagus Ekodanto was quoted as saying.

Several police officers also suffered serious wounds after being attacked by bows and arrows, Ekodanto said.

The group, which media reports said was linked to the secessionist Papua Free Movement, had occupied the airstrip in Papua's Kasepo sub-district for about two weeks.

Police arrested a suspected rebel and a 14-year-old boy for further interrogation, Ekodanto said.

Independence activists in Papua have waged a campaign for decades to break away from Indonesia, while a low-level armed rebellion has also simmered, often related to disputes over the sharing of rich natural resources.

(Reporting by Karima Anjani; Editing by Ed Davies and Sugita Katyal)

 
 
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