Jakarta – Government troops have shot dead a separatist leader in Indonesia's eastern most province of Papua, a military spokesman said on Saturday.

Leo Warisman, a leader of the Free Papua Movement, was killed Friday when soldiers ambushed a rebel camp in the town of Sarmi, located about 3,200 kilometers northeast of Jakarta, said Col. Agus Mulyadi, the military's operations commander in the region.

Warisman was on a most wanted list for allegedly planning a 2001 attack in which rebels shot dead four soldiers at a timber camp in the nearby town of Kuefa, Mulyadi said.

"He was dangerous because he was very smart and brave, "Mulyadi said. "Hopefully his death will paralyze the group." A rebel spokesman could not be reached for comment. Since media access is limited to the region, it was impossible to independently verify the military's claim.

Mulyadi said the ambush followed a tip that rebel leaders were meeting in the area to plan future attacks on troops and actions aimed at disrupting parliamentary elections set for April 5.

Indonesia seized Papua province in 1963 and formalized its occupation in 1969 following a UN-sanctioned ballot that rights groups have labeled a sham. Ever since, the poorly armed Free Papua Movement has fought a sporadic campaign for independence. The military has been accused of widespread abuses in its effort to defeat the group.

Last month, the US State Department criticized Indonesia's human rights record in an annual report, accusing security forces in Papua of committing extrajudicial killings, torture and arson.

Among the killings over the years was the 2001 murder of Theys Eluay. Theys, leader of the Papuan Presidium Council, a political body which advocates a peaceful secessionist struggle, was found dead in his car on November 10, 2001, outside the provincial capital of Jayapura. Seven soldiers were convicted last year and given sentences up to 3 1/2 years.