A team of 50 police officers on Wednesday received special commendations from the National Police headquarters for shooting and killing Kelly Kwalik, the charismatic leader of an armed faction of the pro-independence Free Papua Movement, in December.

"All police members involved in this operation will receive priority attention in regard to promotion," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang said.

One of the team members, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were now tracking down Goliath Tabuni, a more senior member of the rebel group, also known as the OPM.

The police claim that Kwalik was involved in series of attacks in Papua, including a deadly 2002 ambush of a convoy of buses near the huge gold and copper mining operation of the Indonesian subsidiary of Freeport McMoRan.