Lhokseumawe – Indonesia withdrew the last of its police from Aceh province Thursday under a peace agreement with separatist rebels that was propelled by the tsunami one year ago.

The withdrawal – delayed several times in the past week due to a shortage of ships – was the last military step required under the deal to end a 29-year war that claimed 15,000 lives.

Some 2,150 officers left the port town of Lhokseumawe on a warship Thursday afternoon, said Lt. Col. Mulyatno, chief of North Aceh Police. "This is the last batch," he said.

Some 24,000 non-Acehnese troops were withdrawn from the province late last month as part of the peace pact. For their part, the Free Aceh Movement rebels handed in more than 800 weapons and announced the abolition of their armed wing. The weapons were destroyed by international monitors.

Peace efforts picked up pace after a massive earthquake struck off Aceh's coast on Dec. 26, 2004, causing a tsunami that struck a dozen countries on the Indian Ocean's rim, killing or leaving dead at least 216,000 people. Aceh was worst hit, with 156,000 people killed and 500,000 others left homeless.

The rebels and the government responded by hammering out a peace deal that was credited with helping get international assistance to the survivors.