Indonesia says one soldier killed in ongoing Papua clash

Papuans who fled their villages due to fighting near the Grasberg gold and copper mine, gather at a makeshift shelter in Timika on Monday (March 9). An Indonesian soldier was killed on March 9 in a shootout with rebels in restive Papua, prompting more than a thousand civilians to flee fighting near the world's biggest gold mine. - AFP

TIMIKA: Indonesia's military said Monday that a soldier was killed in an ongoing clash between security forces and a rebel group near the world's largest gold mine in Indonesia's easternmost Papua region.

The clashes, which began Feb 29 near the Grasberg copper and gold mine in Papua province, had previously killed a police officer and injured three others. Police said the attackers are believed to be members of the West Papua Liberation Army, the military wing of the Free Papua Organization.