Banda Aceh – Rebels in Indonesia's restive Aceh province ambushed a convoy of vehicles carrying several top security and government officials, leaving a police commander critically injured, officials said on Friday.

They said the convoy, which included a car carrying Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh, was attacked by more than a dozen gunmen on Thursday afternoon in the northern town of Lhokseumawe, a rebel stronghold.

"We are still chasing the attackers who ambushed the governor's convoy yesterday. We estimated there were between 15 and 30 attackers," military spokesman Zainal Mutaqin told Reuters by telephone from Lhokseumawe, some 1,600 km northwest of Jakarta. He said North Aceh Regional Police Chief Sunardi had been critically injured in the attack.

Aceh is one of two separatist hotspots in Indonesia, the other is in the rugged eastern province of Papua where two US teachers and an Indonesian were killed in an ambush on a convoy of vehicles just under a week ago.

Rebels from the Free Aceh Movement, who have been fighting for independence since 1976, said they were responsible for the ambush. "This is a warning to the military and police to stop hurting the Aceh people," local commander Amri bin Abdul Wahab told Reuters.

This latest violence, in almost daily attacks in Aceh, comes amid plans for a fresh round of peace talks between Jakarta and rebel representatives scheduled for this month.

The Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) has estimated the decades-long conflict claimed around 2,000 people last year alone.

The last round of talks was held in May but again failed to halt unrest in the staunchly Muslim province on the northern tip of Sumatra island, although the military spokesman said this latest ambush didn't mean discussions were over.

"I do hope this incident does not obstruct the peace dialogue," Mutaqin added. He said National Police Chief Da'i Bachtiar would fly to Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, later on Friday to visit Sunardi.