The Indonesian army announced on Thursday that armed separatists had killed eight civilians in the Yahukimo region, located in the mountainous province of Papua Highlands, in the east of the country.
In a statement, military official Wirya Arthadiguna condemned the killing of the victims, who he said worked as gold miners in the region. He added that operations to recover the bodies were underway.
The West Papua National Liberation Army, an armed separatist group active in the region, claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement released Thursday, the group asserted that the victims were actually military intelligence agents disguised as gold miners.
The rebel group called on the Indonesian government to stop sending military personnel to Papua under civilian cover, including posing as gold prospectors or taxi drivers.
The Indonesian military rejected these accusations. Arthadiguna confirmed that the victims were indeed civilians and stated that security forces were pursuing the perpetrators of the attack. According to him, the situation in Yahukimo remains tense but is "under control."
The region of Papua, rich in natural resources and home to one of the world's largest gold and copper mines, has been plagued by a separatist insurgency for decades. The territory came under Indonesian control following a UN-supervised vote in 1969, the legitimacy of which is contested by several independence groups.
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