Jakarta – A policeman and three separatist rebels were killed in the continuing violence in strife-torn Aceh, an official said on Thursday.

Police's Cinta Meunasah II Operation spokesman Comr. Sudarsono said two rebels of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) were shot dead in West Aceh regency of Gagak village in Darul Makmur district on Wednesday.

The two rebels, identified as Buyung Lamie, 51 and Ofianda, 26, escaped police custody and grabbed the officers guns when the police tried to move them from Darul Makmur Police Subprecinct to Aceh Barat Police Precinct, the officer told The Jakarta Post from Banda Aceh. "The bodies were taken to Cut Nyak Dien Hospital in Meulaboh," he said.

In a joint military-police raid on a GAM base camp in South Aceh, a rebel was shot dead and another injured but managed to flee after an exchange of intense gunfire between the two camps in Seuneubok Alur Buluh village in Bakongan on Tuesday, he said.

Dozens of weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunitions were seized in the raid as evidence, including GLM mortar launchers, assembled bombs, SS-1 ammunitions, revolvers, rifles, radio, walky-talkie, bag pack, battery, documents, VCDs on GAM activities and military-style uniforms along with GAM flags and other attributes. The evidence was taken to South Aceh Police Precinct.

A policeman Second. Adj. Mursal was ambushed and shot to death in Kampung Jawa, a suburb of Banda Aceh on Wednesday afternoon. "He was on the way home from the office when gunmen on a motorbike shot him and snatched his bag containing a revolver and police uniform," Sudarsono said.