US pilot shot dead in Indonesia's Papua, plane set ablaze by separatist rebels

An American pilot has been shot dead and his aircraft set ablaze in Indonesia's conflict-hit Papua region, according to separatist rebels, in an attack they described as a warning to both the Indonesian and US governments amid the decades-long insurgency in the resource-rich territory.

According to news agency Reuters, the West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB), an armed separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its fighters shot dead pilot Nicholas F. Gosselin after his aircraft landed in Yahukimo, a remote district in Highland Papua province.

The Indonesian government has confirmed that the aircraft was found burned at a local airport but has stopped short of confirming the pilot's death or attributing the incident to separatist fighters, saying investigations are continuing.

REBELS CALL ATTACK A 'MESSAGE'

TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom said the attack was intended to send a political message to both Jakarta and Washington.

According to Sambom, the aircraft had repeatedly entered territory controlled by separatist fighters despite warnings issued by the group.

"We immediately fired upon and burned the plane because it had violated the TPNPB ultimatum," Sambom said.

He alleged that civilian aircraft had been used to transport Indonesian military personnel and logistics into areas claimed by the rebels.

The attack in Yahukimo, he said, was also "a message" to the Indonesian and US governments for "failing to address the root causes of the conflict in Papua between the Indonesian military and the West Papua Liberation Army."

Sambom warned that more attacks could follow if civilian aircraft continued flying into what the rebels describe as restricted or "red zone" areas.

"We are prepared to fire upon any civilian aircraft across the Land of Papua that assists Indonesian military forces in transporting troops or military logistics," he said.

He also called on the Indonesian government to begin negotiations aimed at resolving the decades-old conflict and said authorities should recover the pilot's body without deploying military or police personnel to the area.

Videos released by the TPNPB showed armed fighters carrying rifles and axes while displaying the Morning Star flag, a symbol associated with the West Papuan independence movement.

- Ends