The incident has made some 30 villagers so frightened that they asked for security protection from the 330/Tri Dharma Infantry Battalion Task Force, the task force's commander Major Dedy Pungky Irawanto said.
"One day before the legislator's house was assaulted and torched, several personnel of the Operation Peace Cartenz Task Force engaged in a gunfight with members of armed Papuan group," he said here Saturday.
The gunfight resulted in the death of the task force's personnel from the police's elite Mobile Brigade (Brimob) unit named 2nd Brigadier Alfandi Steve Karamoy, Irawanto added.
The ongoing acts of terror of the Intan Jaya-based armed Papuan groups have threatened both security personnel and members of local communities, he said.
The security personnel continue to fight the armed terrorist separatists and prevent them from entering Sugapa town as they destroy public facilities, and continue to terrorize locals, he said.
"This is an irony as the government's ongoing development efforts to improve locals' welfare, the armed groups operating in Intan Jaya continue their acts of terror that have made locals suffer a lot," he added.
ANTARA earlier reported that over the past few years, armed Papuan groups have often employed hit-and-run tactics against Indonesian security personnel and mounted acts of terror against civilians in the districts of Intan Jaya, Nduga, and Puncak to instill fear among the people.
The targets of such acts of terror have included construction workers, motorcycle taxi (ojek) drivers, teachers, students, street food vendors, and also civilian aircraft.
On December 2, 2018, a group of armed Papuan separatists brutally killed 31 workers from PT Istaka Karya who were engaged in the Trans Papua project in Kali Yigi and Kali Aurak in Yigi sub-district, Nduga district.
On March 2, 2022, several members of an armed Papuan group operating in Beoga sub-district, Puncak district, killed eight Palaparing Timur Telematika (PTT) workers, who were repairing a base transceiver station (BTS) tower belonging to state-owned telecommunications operator Telkomsel.
On February 7, 2023, New Zealander pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens was held captive by the Egianus Kogoya-led armed group.
On October 16, 2023, Papuan separatists assaulted several traditional gold miners in Yahukimo district, Papua Pegunungan province, killing seven of them.
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Translator: Ardiles L, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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