Jakarta – The military is establishing a separate command in Aceh to spearhead the war against the rebel Free Aceh Movement, a move which means that soldiers in the province will no longer be accountable to headquarters in Jakarta.

Human rights activists have denounced the move, saying the action will increase military atrocities.

But Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono defended the imminent separate command after a Cabinet meeting yesterday.

"The armed separatist movement in Aceh has deeply threatened our territorial integrity and sovereignty," he said. "Setting up the command can guarantee the effectiveness of efforts to stop separatism." He also said President Megawati Sukarnoputri's administration would extend an order to the military to crush the 26-year-long rebellion which left at least 1,400 people – mostly civilians – dead last year.

Mr Susilo said the government would give the rebels one last chance to negotiate a ceasefire, but he ruled out talks about independence for the province of four million people on the northern tip of Sumatra island.

There was no immediate reaction from the insurgents. However, it appeared unlikely that they would favour another round of peace talks as previous efforts had collapsed due to attacks by the security forces.

"We strongly oppose the new military command as it will go against peace efforts made by local and international rights campaigners," said Mr Rufriadi, the chairman of the Legal Aid Institute in Aceh. "This will only create more violence and more and more civilians will become victims."

International human rights activists have accused the army of committing widespread abuses in Aceh, including running death squads which target civilians opposed to Indonesian rule.

In the latest bloodshed, troops attacked a rebel base camp in East Aceh on Wednesday, killing four insurgents, said military spokesman Major Zaenal Mutaqin. Soldiers killed another rebel fighter in a separate incident in the north-east of the province, he said. Meanwhile, a bomb exploded as a military truck was passing along a road in northern Aceh, killing one soldier and injuring two, said Major Zaenal. A rebel spokesman claimed responsibility for the blast.