Banda Aceh – Unidentified gunmen killed at least seven people, including three policemen, and injured two in a series of shootings in restive Aceh province, police and residents said Thursday.

A policeman, seriously wounded during an attack by armed men on a police post in Ingin Jaya subdistrict some 20 kilometres (12 miles) from here late Wednesday, died at the hospital Thursday, Aceh Besar district police chief Lieutenant Colonel Sayid Husainy said. Another policeman was killed instantly in the attack in which men believed to be separatist rebels carried grenade launchers and automatic rifles, Husainy said.

An anti-riot policeman, Sarmidi Erik, 28, was also shot dead and another wounded on Wednesday in an ambush while on motorcycle patrol by suspected rebels in Blang Nisam village in North Aceh, North Aceh police chief Lieutenant Colonel Syafei Aksal said.

In another development on Wednesday, a motorcyle taxi driver was shot by his passenger in Idi Rayeuk subdistrict after they scuffled, residents said. The motive for the killing was unknown. Dikri, a farmer from Alue Tampak village, was shot dead as he was riding a motorcycle home from the main West Aceh town of Meulaboh late Tuesday, a local journalist said.

About one hour later, the village secretary of Kabu Baroh, in the Seunangan sub-district, was shot dead by unknown assailants some 400 metres from his house, the journalist said. Another victim, the head of the Krueng Mangkom village in the same sub-district, was shot around 2.30am Wednesday. The village secretary was seriously injured in the same shooting.

A special police team has been set up to investigate the shootings, West Aceh police chief, Lieutenant Colonel Her Aris Sumarman, told journalists in Meulaboh.

Violence involving Indonesian soldiers and separatist rebels of the Free Aceh Movement, fighting for an Islamic state in the province since 1976, has already cost more than 300 lives this year.