Eight gold miners were killed in an attack carried out by armed separatist fighters in Yahukimo Regency, located in Indonesia’s Highland Papua Province, on Wednesday, according to a statement released by the Indonesian military on Thursday, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.
Military spokesperson Wirya Arthadiguna stated that the victims were civilians who were engaged in gold panning activities in the Korowai area.
He rejected claims made by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), which said those killed were undercover security personnel.
The TPNPB said it carried out the attack as a retaliatory operation, following the reported deaths of two of its members last week.
Wirya said that the security situation in the region remained under control, although the area continued to face ongoing security challenges.
“The eight victims were ordinary civilians, not security personnel,” he said, condemning the killings as a serious violation of law and human rights.
Papua, which shares the island of New Guinea with Papua New Guinea, has experienced long-running separatist unrest. Armed groups in the region have frequently carried out attacks targeting both civilians and security forces.
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