Banda Aceh – Indonesia's military accused separatist rebels on Tuesday of gunning down a woman and her two daughters at their home in war-torn Aceh province.

Spokesman Ahmad Yani Basuki said four people led by a known member of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) burst into a house at Baroh village in Pidie district late Sunday. He said the woman and two of her daughters were shot dead on the spot while another daughter was in critical condition in hospital.

"The motive for the slaughter is that the victims have been known to have been close with personnel of the Indonesian armed forces," Basuki said. GAM could not immediately be reached for comment.

The military is now in the 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.