JAKARTA: Three soldiers who were missing after an ambush attack on Saturday by separatist rebels in the restive province of Papua have been found dead, according to the Indonesian Armed Forces Information Centre.
The Armed Forces identified the three soldiers as First Private Kurniawan, First Private Ibrahim, and First Private Sukra.
They were among the 36 soldiers in an operation to search for New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mark Mehrtens, who was kidnapped in February by a separatist rebel group in the Mugi-Mam district of Nduga.
According to local media report, the soldiers scattered to take cover as enemy fighters were firing from many directions. Once the scene was clear, they realised that three of their own were missing, while one more soldier – First Private Miftahul Arifin – died after being shot and falling 15 meters into a ravine.
The military began a search, rescue and body retrieval operation, which ended when the bodies were found. The four bodies were taken to Timika Hospital in Mimika District on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Indonesian National Armed Forces Commander, Admiral Yudo Margono, ordered soldiers to be in a state of combat readiness in the event of fresh attacks by the group that was once an organisation called Free Papua. - Bernama