A rebel group in Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua said its fighters killed a US pilot at a remote airstrip on Thursday, in an attack that authorities have not been able to confirm.
Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the West Papua National Liberation Army, said the pilot identified as Nicholas F. Gosselin had violated the rebels’ self-issued ban on civilian flights in the region, which the insurgent group claims had provided support for Indonesian military operations.
The plane came under attack as it landed in Yahukimo district and the pilot was killed, the spokesman said.
A task force established to tackle insurgency in Papua said in a statement they were able to confirm that the plane, owned by PT Associated Mission Aviation, had burned down, adding that the status of the pilot and seven passengers remained unclear.
Sebby said the passengers, who are Papuan, were safe.
Yusuf Sutejo, spokesman for the Cartenz Peace Task Force, said authorities will send a team on Friday to investigate.
“Until now, information regarding the condition of the pilot and passengers is waiting for the result of direct on-location check,” he said.
The task force’s statement added authorities still need to gather evidence and question witnesses in order to determine whether Papuan rebels were behind the incident.
Indonesia’s transport ministry, citing a report from a local airport authority, said that Gosselin was reported dead, adding that the cause had yet to be confirmed.
Indonesia maintains a heavy military presence in Papua to quell the long-running separatist insurgency in the region.
In February, authorities blamed rebels in Papua for an attack on a commercial plane that killed two crew members moments after landing.
Papua, which shares its main island with Papua New Guinea, is a former Dutch colony that declared independence in 1961.
Indonesia however took control two years later, followed by a 1969 referendum in which 1,000 Papuans voted to integrate into the country.
Papuan independence activists regularly criticise the vote and call for fresh polls, which Jakarta has rejected citing UN support for its sovereignty over Papua.
