At least five people were killed in the Indonesian province of Aceh where separatist rebels are fighting government forces, military and rebels said Saturday

Gunfight broke out Friday in the Krueng Sabee area of West Aceh between military soldiers and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels, killing a soldier and three rebels, said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Firdaus.

Local GAM commander, Teungku Ridwan, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying his troops had initiated the skirmish.Meanwhile, a pregnant woman was killed by stray bullets in a separate skirmish on Friday between troops and GAM rebels in Rantau Selamat subdistrict in East Aceh, said police spokesman Agus Dwiyanto.

A two year-old girl was also wounded in the incident, Dwiyanto said.

GAM spokesman Ishak Daud said his group had attacked the troops because they were "causing a lot grief for residents in the area with their unjustified military operations."

The Free Aceh Movement has since 1976 waged a guerrilla war for an independent state in Aceh, an oil and gas-rich province on the north of Sumatra island.

Pro-independence sentiment has been fueled by Jakarta's draining of the province's natural resources and harsh military operations in the last decade. More than 1,600 people have died this year alone.