“The armed criminal group attempted to open fire at the airport, prompting a swift response from joint security personnel, which resulted in a gunfight. Personnel of the Peace Cartenz Task Force and the military responded quickly to restore the situation,” said Brigadier General Faizal Rahmadani, operations chief of the task force.
Rahmadani explained that the attackers, believed to be members of a group led by Jeki Murib, opened fire from a nearby forest in an apparent attempt to disrupt airport operations. The first shots were fired at 7:35 a.m. local time, causing panic among civilians.
Security personnel immediately secured the airport area and conducted a search of the surrounding forest. However, at around 8:00 a.m., three armed men from the same group reappeared and resumed firing with M16s, AK-47s, and a short-barreled firearm, Rahmadani said. The exchange of fire lasted until 9:30 a.m. before the area was fully secured again.
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“Fortunately, there were no casualties among security forces or civilians,” he added.
Rahmadani emphasized that attacks on vital public infrastructure such as airports are serious criminal offenses and carry heavy legal penalties.
In recent years, armed separatist groups in Papua have increasingly used hit-and-run tactics against security personnel and launched violent attacks on civilians to spread fear. Targets have included construction workers, teachers, motorcycle taxi drivers, street vendors, and even civilian aircraft.
One high-profile incident occurred on February 7, 2023, when New Zealand pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens was taken hostage by the Egianus Kogoya-led group after they ambushed his Susi Air plane in Highland Papua’s Nduga District. Mehrtens was held captive for over a year and released in September 2024.
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Translator: Evarukdijati, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Anton Santoso
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