Jakarta – After weeks of restive calm, at least seven people were killed on Thursday in a series of incidents in the Aceh province, police and reports said.

Police spokesman for Aceh's Security and Order Operation, Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Dwiyanto, said a rebel of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) was shot dead during a military raid in the early hours of Thursday in Idi Rayeuk district, East Aceh. Agus told the JakartaPost by phone from the capital of Aceh, Banda Aceh, that weaponry, including an AK-47 automatic rifle, a GLM launcher and four mortars, three pairs of boots, military fatigues and vests, along with hundreds of bullets, wasseized from rebels as evidence.

Gunfights lasting about 15 minutes between rebels and security forces, happened at 5:30am on Thursday, and trails of blood showed that several other rebels were possibly wounded, he added.

Another rebel was gunned down during a raid at Blang Kejeren, Southeast Aceh, on Thursday, the officer added. Three civilians were killed by unidentified armed men who came to their home on Wednesday night at Simpangtiga in Pidieregency, residents said, reported AFP. They were the widow, child and mother of a soldier shot dead in January last year. The news agency also quoted residents as saying that at Samadua, South Aceh, unidentified gunmen shot dead two village leaders late on Wednesday.

GAM has been fighting for an independent Islamic state in Aceh since the mid-1970s. At least 1,200 people have been killed in Aceh this year alone, mostly civilians. After a series of shaky negotiations between Jakarta and GAM, which failed to curtail the violence, the central government slapped a "separatist" tag to the movement and launched operations to quash the rebels.