Don Greenlees, Jakarta – Indonesian armed forces commander General Endriartono Sutarto conceded this week that it was possible Indonesian soldiers carried out a deadly ambush on Freeport mine workers in Papua three months ago.

However, almost a week after sending a team of investigators to ascertain whether soldiers participated in or planned the August 31 attack in which three Freeport workers, including two American schoolteachers, were killed, he strenuously denied that his headquarters had any involvement in the attack.

Asked whether it was possible soldiers carried out the attack, General Sutarto told The Weekend Australian: "That's why I sent an investigation team now, just to confirm whether my members are involved in that case or not. I will not deny [it] if, then, there is evidence that members of TNI were involved in that case."

But General Sutarto dismissed recent claims that he had discussed with other senior officers the possibility of staging an incident at the Freeport mine aimed at discrediting the rebel Free Papua Organisation (OPM). The Washington Post reported these claims on November 3, quoting an unnamed US official. The newspaper said the US had information based on the account of a person believed to know of the high-level Indonesian military conversations.

General Sutarto has threatened the Post with legal action unless it apologises. Senior Australian and US military officers have lent credibility to General Sutarto's denials of any personal knowledge of the killings. He said he had been told by the officers they had no evidence to support an allegation ofcomplicity on the part of the TNI high command in the killings ? a claim verified by Western diplomats.

Western military analysts say Washington and Canberra are keen to bolster General Sutarto's position because he is regarded as being far more committed to internal reform than any likely successor. If General Sutarto were to be removed, a strong candidate as his successor would be army commander General Ryamizard Ryacudu, who has made hardline comments on separatism.

Concerns persist about the possibility of TNI involvement in the Freeport case. On Thursday, Papua's deputy police chief, Brigadier Raziman Tarigan, said police suspected special forces (Kopassus) troops participated in the ambush. He referred to testimony from a Papuan man, Deky Murib, who claims to have first-hand knowledge of the ambush. He accused four Kopassus soldiers of participating in the attack. FBI agents met Mr Murib in the Papuan capital, Jayapura, where he is under police protection, according to a US official. But the official said the FBI shared some concerns with Papuan police about inconsistencies in Mr Murib's testimony.