At least six people in a remote area in the eastern province of Papua Highlands reportedly died in an ambush by armed insurgents, the military told local media.
According to a report, the incident took place in the district of Aggruk in Yakuhimo region.
The Papua Cendrawasih Military Command’s spokesman Candra Kurniawan said on Sunday that the victims were allegedly burnt alive inside a school building.
“Six teachers were killed in a barbaric and inhumane attack. In this attack, the rebels burnt down a school as well as teachers’ houses,” Kurniawan said.
Authorities, he said, have identified four of the victims.
One of the identified victims worked as a medical worker in the region.
A spokesperson of the National Liberation Army of West Papua (TPNBP) fighters has confirmed to local media that the attack was carried out by the group, saying that all victims were part of an intelligence unit deployed by the Indonesian security authorities.
The Indonesian military and police have frequently been engaged in conflicts with separatists in Papua.
The TPNBP, based in the province, has been seeking an independent state through guerrilla warfare for decades, targeting military and police personnel as well as civilians. — Xinhua
