SIX ACEH REBELS KILLED, FOUR WOMEN GUERRILLAS DETAINED: INDONESIAN MILITARY

November 29, 2003 – (AFP) Indonesian troops killed six suspected Aceh rebels and captured four women believed to be insurgents during operations in the province Friday, the military said.

The six men died during separate operations conducted between Pidie and East Aceh districts, said Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Yani Basuki, a military spokesman.

Aceh Movement (GAM) members, he said.

Also Friday, troops acting on information from the public arrested four suspected female members of GAM hiding in the interior of Pidie district,
Basuki said. Two of them were teenagers, he said.

Residents of Jeunieb, Bireuen district, on Friday found the body of Ilyas, 25, the spokesman said. Ilays's hands were tied and his body showed signs of severe torture but the motive for the killing is not known, Basuki said.

The military on May 19 declared martial law and launched an all-out offensive aimed at wiping out GAM, which has been fighting for independence since 1976.

More than 1,100 guerrillas have been killed since then, while another 2,000 have been arrested or surrendered and 485 weapons have been seized, the military has said.

It initially estimated a rebel strength of about 5,000.

Some analysts question whether the military toll for rebel dead also includes civilians, pointing out that relatively few weapons have been captured.

Received from Joyo Indonesia News

From:

Paul Barber
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign,
25 Plovers Way, Alton Hampshire GU34 2JJ
Tel/Fax: 01420 80153
Email: plovers@gn.apc.org
Internet: http://tapol.gn.apc.org
Defending victims of oppression in Indonesia,
1973-2003