JAKARTA (Bernama-Xinhua): Indonesia's security forces have arrested three soldiers for allegedly being involved in the sale of weapons and ammunition to separatists in the country's far-eastern Papua region.
The Cartenz Peace Operation Task Force, a joint operation by the country's army and police to curb armed separatist rebels in Papua, reported on Tuesday that the three suspects were arrested in connection with a case involving seven civilians recently named as suspects in similar illicit sales.
The seven suspects reportedly operated in different provinces, supplying weapons and ammunition to the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).
Task force chief Faizal Ramadhani said in a statement that the detained soldiers were interrogated last Friday in the West Java city of Bandung.
The three soldiers are currently detained at the Indonesian Army's Siliwangi Military Command in Bandung.
Indonesia's security forces have frequently clashed with Papuan separatists, resulting in casualties on both sides.
The TPNPB has been waging a guerrilla war for decades in pursuit of an independent state, targeting military and police personnel as well as civilians. - Bernama-Xinhua
