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Indonesian
Army Sustains Worst Death Toll In Aceh
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Indonesian forces suffered the worst death toll in fighting with Aceh separatists
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BANDA ACEH, June 10
(IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Indonesian troops and Aceh
rebels have fought their fiercest battle since a campaign was launched
last month to crush the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), as a military
prosecutor recommended jail sentences for three soldiers who assaulted
civilians in the province.
At least seven soldiers have been
shot dead and seven wounded - the military's worst casualty toll since
the assault was launched on May 19 and martial law was declared in the
province on Sumatra island, Indonesian military said on Tuesday, June
10.
"This is the heaviest battle
between troops of the Indonesian armed forces and GAM since martial
law was imposed in Aceh," said military operations spokesman
Lieutenant Colonel Yani Basuki.
The clash began late Monday at
Matang Kumbang in Bireuen district and lasted until early Tuesday,
with 40 marines and 22 infantrymen battling an estimated 60
separatists, Bas.
Basuki said the separatists also
suffered casualties but could not provide immediate details. He said
the bodies of three marines had been recovered while the bodies of two
marines and two infantrymen were still on the battlefield.
The spokesman could not be
reached for an update later Tuesday but was quoted by Koran Tempo
newspaper's online edition as saying that two companies, or about 200
men, have been sent as reinforcements.
Basuki also said a firefight
broke out at Krueng Pati Garue in East Aceh in which two rebels were
shot dead and a firearm confiscated.
Twenty soldiers and three
policemen have now died in Aceh since May 19. Troops have also killed
160 separists, according to the military, with more than 300 placed in
custody.
The military denies reports from
villagers that some of the dead were civilians and says it is trying
to protect ordinary Acehnese.
Trial For Torture
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three Indonesian soldiers stand in a courtroom during their trail in Aceh
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In the meanwhile, at a
court-martial in Lhokseumawe a military prosecutor recommended jail
sentences of between seven months and eight months and 20 days for
three soldiers who assaulted civilians in Bireuen district on May 27,
the state Antara news agency said.
The court martial, the second
under martial law, resumes Wednesday.
Three soldiers have
been jailed for four months over the same charges -- linked to the
beating-up of villagers in Lawang village, Bireuen during a hunt for
separatists.
A second lieutenant is also to
face a court-martial.
Police, meanwhile, accused GAM of
abducting 23 village chiefs in the rebel stronghold of Bireuen
district.
"Their aim in abducting
those village heads is to force them to resign from their posts,"
said district police chief Commissioner Laksa Widiyana.
He said the rebel group
responsible is headed by Kautsar, the son of an Aceh legislator.
Some 76 other village heads in
Bireuen district resigned Sunday, saying they were unable to perform
their duties because of harassment from both sides.
GAM has been fighting since 1976
for independence for the province. An estimated 10,000 people, mostly
civilians, have been killed since then.
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