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Three killed in war-ravaged Aceh

Source
Agence France Presse - September 8, 2003

Three people including a soldier have been killed in clashes between troops and separatists in the Indonesian province of Aceh, the military said.

A first sergeant was shot dead during a clash at Bukit Seuntang in North Aceh late Sunday afternoon, said military spokesman Ahmad Yani Basuki.

Soldiers shot dead a rebel during a raid on a suspected hideout at Bakongan in South Aceh on Sunday morning, Basuki said. He said two guerrillas were captured in a similar raid at Ingin Jaya in Aceh Besar district later the same day.

A civilian was found dead with a gunshot wound in the head at Kruet Tempen in Pidie district on Sunday, Basuki said.

Troops combing the Buloh Blang Ara region in North Aceh district on Sunday found two home-made bombs planted on a road and defused them, he added.

The military is now in its fourth month of an all-out drive to rid the resource-rich province on Sumatra island of the rebels, who have been fighting for independence since 1976.

On Saturday the military said it had so far killed 830 guerrillas while more than 1,700 others have been arrested or had surrendered since May 19. The military had lost 36 soldiers and the police 15 men as of Saturday.

Aceh police said at least 319 civilians have been killed during the same period while 108 have gone missing. They did not say which side was to blame.

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