An American pilot was shot dead and his plane set on fire by rebels in the restive eastern region of Papua, Indonesia’s military has confirmed.
The military has recovered the body of American pilot Nicholas F Gosselin, it said on Friday after a separatist group said the attack was a “message” to the US and Indonesian governments.
A low-level battle for independence from Indonesia has long raged in the resource-rich western half of Papua, where attacks by independence fighters have grown deadlier and more frequent as they have procured better weaponry.
Sebby Sambom, a spokesperson for the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), an armed separatist group, said on Thursday that their troops shot dead Gosselin and set his plane on fire after it landed in the Yahukimo region of Highland Papua province.
He said the aircraft had been “frequently dropping Indonesian military personnel and violating the TPNPB’s ultimatum”. He said there would be more attacks if Indonesia kept allowing civilian aircraft to enter rebel-controlled red zones of Papua.
The attack was a message to the Indonesian and US governments for “failing to address the root causes of the conflict in Papua between the Indonesian military and the West Papua National Liberation Army”, Mr Sebby said.
On Friday, Wirya Artadiguna, a military spokesperson in Papua, confirmed the separatist group had carried out the attack and said the body of the American pilot had been recovered and evacuated.
The military is seeking the perpetrators, he said, as well as looking for the passengers from the flight.
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