Before successfully forcing them to escape into the forest, the rebels had terrorized the workers of public health center construction in Ayata Village, Aifat Timur Tengah Subdistrict, for three days, the task force's commander Lieutenant Colonel Andhika Ganessakti said in Maybrat District on Saturday.
After two workers saw several suspicious persons near the construction site, they reported to the task force's personnel who then intensified perimeter patrols, he said.
The patrols successfully forced three members of the armed group to escape into the forest after involving a gunfight with the task force's personnel, he said, adding that the rebels who terrorized the workers carried two homemade rifles and two machetes.
According to Ganessakti, there were no fatalities or injuries caused by the incident.
This latest act of terror revealed that the armed Papuan groups remained active in the Maybrat District and continued to threaten innocent civilians and infrastructure development projects in the region, he said.
"Therefore, I appeal to local residents and the Ayata Public Health Center construction workers to stay alert and not to hesitate to report any security threat," Ganessakti said.
ANTARA has 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, Puncak, and Maybrat to stoke 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 even civilian aircraft.
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Translator: Yuvensius LB, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Bayu Prasetyo
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