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BANDA ACEH - Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province, surrounded for more than a week in swampy terrain by some 1,000 government troops, said on Monday the military fired mortars at the group to make them surrender. The military confirmed the weekend attack at Paya Cot Trieng village in North Aceh despite previously saying it would give the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels several more days to surrender.
"GAM is hiding behind civilians. This attack was necessary in order to separate the rebels and the civilians," Aceh military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Firdaus Komarno told Reuters. It is unclear how many civilians are holed up with the rebels. Witnesses said six civilians as well as two members of Indonesia's Kopassus special forces were killed in the attack.
Clashes are common between the military and the Aceh rebels but most do not involve large numbers from either side. Some two decades of separatist fighting in the staunchly Muslim province on the northern tip of Sumatra island has claimed thousands of lives and more than two years of peace talks in Switzerland have done little to halt the bloodshed.
A spokesman for the rebels said the group was prepared for the assault and had not suffered any casualties. "We are ready for the military attack, the mortar blast missed the targets and many didn't explode," said spokesman Soyfan Daud adding 22 mortars had been fired from helicopters since Saturday.
Up to 1,000 troops have encircled the group of around 40 rebels. GAM rebels are believed to number in the thousands while the security forces have some 30,000 personnel in the province, some 1,700 km northwest of Jakarta. Indonesia had wanted to sign a fresh peace deal late last month or before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began last week. GAM only agreed to halt military operations during Ramadan and sign a deal in December.
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