A separatist rebel group in Indonesia's Papua region, known as the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), has claimed responsibility for the killing of at least 13 Indonesian military soldiers. The soldiers were reportedly attacked after the army sent troops to search for New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mehrtens, who was taken hostage in February. The TPNPB said its soldiers attacked two Indonesian military posts in the Yal and Mugi districts of Nduga Regency over the weekend. They claimed that they shot dead 13 Indonesian military and police officials in the Mugi district, and that they were still in possession of 12 bodies, although this has not been verified.
Indonesia's military confirmed that one of their soldiers had been killed while combing the area near where Mehrtens is believed to be held. Some soldiers were missing, but the weather conditions were making it difficult to determine their whereabouts. The rebels claimed that nine Indonesian soldiers were executed on Sunday after being captured in the Yal district. The attack on the Yal military post was said to be "revenge" for an Indonesian military operation in the area in late March, where troops reportedly killed a pregnant woman and two rebel fighters.
The TPNPB said they had proposed peace negotiations with the New Zealand and Indonesian governments, but for two months their letters had been ignored. They called on New Zealand and the UN to urge the Indonesian government to cease military operations, and suggested that peace talks could be conducted under a "neutral third party," namely the UN organizational body.
Mehrtens was captured in February after landing a commercial Susi Air charter flight at the remote Paro Airport in Nduga regency. The Indonesian military maintains a heavy and controversial presence in Papua, which came under Jakarta's control following a widely disputed 1969 vote overseen by the United Nations. Unrest in the impoverished but resource-rich region has escalated in recent years as separatist fighters demand independence.
The TPNPB, designated by the Indonesian government as a terrorist group, initially said that Mehrtens would not be released until Jakarta acknowledged Papuan independence and withdrew its troops from the region. However, they later dropped that demand as a condition of the pilot's release and now want to talk with the New Zealand and Indonesian governments to secure his release, according to TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom.