Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) claimed on Sunday that it had killed another leader of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Aceh province.
Military operations spokesman Lt. Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki said government troops killed Nurdin, whose nom du guerre was Saddam Hussein, during a firefight at Langkahan in North Aceh district on Saturday.
Nurdin, 45, was said to be the chief of the local military police for GAM. Troops had seized a Colt handgun from him. Basuki also said four rebels were arrested on Sunday but did not say where.
There was no confirmation or statement from GAM rebels, who have been fighting for independence for the resource-rich province since 1976. Over 10,000 lives have been lost since then.
The government put Aceh under martial law on May 19 and sent 40,000 troops and police after an estimated 5,000 rebels following the collapse of peace talks with GAM.
The military claims that more than 900 GAM rebels have been killed since then, along with 66 members of security forces. It also says that 1,800 have been arrested or surrendered.
Meanwhile, GAM warned Sunday of possible conflicts between Acehnese and non-Acehnese people in the province following an alleged move by TNI to establish militia groups to assist operations in the troubled province.
Teungku Mansor, GAM spokesman in Peureulek, East Aceh, said that possible conflict between Acehnese and non-Acehnese could materialize if TNI continued to allegedly establish militia groups in Aceh.
"We never hold non-Acehnese people in contempt, but what TNI has done so far could spark anger among Acehnese civilians as these militia groups, equipped with various sharp weapons, have tortured villagers from several villages, including M3, M4, Seunebok Simpang, Darul Aman and Idi Cut," Mansor was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying on Sunday. All of these villages are in East Aceh.
"Accompanied by the military, dozens of militia members intimidated the villagers and forced them to tell of our whereabouts. They [the militia members] even burned several houses there," he added. Yani Basuki was not available for comment Sunday.
According to Mansor, TNI recruits members of the militia groups from Javanese employees who are working at state owned-PT National Plantation I, located at the Alue le Mirah area in Kuta Binjei subdistrict and Kara Inoung area in Ranto Peureulak subdistrict.
"The Jakarta policy to further develop the current conflict in Aceh as an ethnic clash is absolutely unacceptable because it is a crime against humanity," Mansor said.
Still in East Aceh, 3,500 teachers there pledged on Saturday their loyalty to the Indonesian government at the Merdeka Field, Langsa. They demanded the government continue military operations to crack down on GAM.
Separately, in Banda Aceh, some 30 wives of GAM members begged their husbands to come out of the jungle and surrender to TNI. Along with 500 villagers, the wives of GAM members searched for their husbands on Sunday in several locations where GAM members were believed to be hiding. "I hope my husband will come home as my children miss their father so much," one of the GAM members' wives said.
Aceh Besar regent Sayuti Is and Aceh Besar Military District Command chief Lt. Col. Joko Warsito briefed the group of villagers and the GAM members' wives before they began searching. However, the group did not find any GAM members during their search.