In Aceh where Indonesia's biggest military offensive in a quarter of century continues to gather pace. The Indonesian armed forces, the TNI, say they have killed more than 30 rebels of the separatist Free Aceh Movement, or GAM in a series of clashes, and continue to deny claims that civilians are among the dead.

Indonesia launched its operation following the breakdown of last-ditch weekend peace talks with the GAM in Tokyo. An American freelance journalist who's with the rebels in Aceh says morale among the GAM forces is high, and the movement retains popular support ... despite the military's onslaught.

Presenter/Interviewer: Tom Fayle

Speakers: William Nessan, American freelance journalist in Aceh

Nessan: "I'm standing on top of a mountain, it's raining very hard, I'm looking out across fields of bananas and jungle across to the hill and mountain after endless mountains ... I can't quite see the sea but if I were a little higher up I could."

Fayle: And William how long have you been with the GAM forces?

Nessan: "I've been with GAM, with the guerillas and the villagers here for several weeks. I'm in east Aceh now."

Fayle: And since your arrival in the area have you witnessed any action?

Nessan: "Yes I've been in a number of battles here, firefights between the guerillas and the TNI. These were ambushes by GAM on TNI forces, when TNI began approaching a few villages that we've been in."

Fayle: And what about casualties?

Nessan: "Casualties I've seen four dead TNI, that's four TNI fall down obviously shot from between 50 and 100 metres by automatic weapon fire. None of the GAM soldiers I've been with have been hit or mostly it's a quick attack and the TNI ends up running away. The guerillas survive only because of active physical support that they receive from basically every village that I've been in. I've been in a couple of dozen now."

Fayle: It's not just a question William then of ordinary people adopting the very pragmatic stand of expressing support to whatever armed group happens to be in the vicinity at the time?

Nessan: "It's not just a question of pragmatic support, no I mean these are the brothers and sisters and fathers and sons of the villagers, and these are ordinary kids who are the sort of proud bearers of the independent sentiment that you feel in every village."

Fayle: And one final question, the military says none of the casualties so far have been civilians and that the GAM forces have abandoned wearing their uniforms?

Nessan: "Well I haven't seen any change in uniform from a year ago except they have more of them. Everyone of these guys is happy to wear fatigues; they just don't have enough of them. I mean some of them are dressed in all black like the Vietnamese once did and guerillas do all around the world. And those operate in the cities of course they don't wear uniform, and I know civilians have been killed."

"I know a guy, met a guy who I knew the next day was killed. We know that people have been killed, there are reports that coming every day, I mean I haven't seen dead civilians, but every day you hear that villages that we were in or villages near where we are people have been killed or beaten."