Jakarta – Indonesian troops killed 12 alleged separatist rebels in Aceh province where violence has continued despite the recent lifting of martial law there, the army said on Thursday.

The men were killed in three skirmishes in different areas of North Aceh on Wednesday, said spokesman Lt. Col. Asep Sapari. Troops confiscated several automatic weapons from the victims, he said.

The rebels were not available for comment. It is impossible to independently verify military claims about Aceh, because journalists are barred from most of the province.

Human rights groups accuse the military of operating death squads in the oil- and gas-rich region on the northern tip of Sumatra island and say most victims are ordinary villagers.

Last month, the government downgraded a one-year state of martial law to a state of emergency in the province, handing authority back to a civilian administration. Still, the military continues to maintain a large presence there and has continued anti-insurgency operations.

More than 2,000 people have been killed in the province in the past year, after Jakarta abandoned an internationally mediated peace plan and launched a massive military operation to crush the insurgency in the province of 4.3 million people. The Free Aceh Movement began fighting for an independent homeland since 1976.