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Army And Police Raids Separatist Camps In Aceh
by Kazi Mahmood for IslamOnline
JAKARTA, May 14 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The military and police late last week stormed an unidentified number of camps of the separatist group the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), killing 14 people in villages of Pidie and Bireun regencies, Antara news agency reported Monday.
Pidie is a GAM stronghold and the military operation is part of the official light military operations (DOM in Indonesia) directed against the separatist movement.
The army has been actively searching for GAM bases and ammunition depots. In the process, they have been attacked several times in areas within Aceh, a region that is experiencing bouts of extreme violence on a daily basis, coming under fire from well-organized GAM guerilla groups.
At least six separatist rebels were killed when security forces stormed camps located in the villages of Cot Tunong and Paya Rauf, Geulumpang Tiga sub-district, Pidie regency, but its commander, Abdullah Syafei, survived the raids, sources said.
The army attacked the camp where Syafei met an aide of Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, Bondan Gunwan, state secretary last year.
The GAM believes the army received logistic information from Wahid's aides and carried out the attack in an attempt to capture or kill Commander Syafei.
Meanwhile, Antara reported Sunday that at least eight people were killed as troops conducted sweeping operations against separatists in several places of Bireun regency.
A spokesman for the local police office, Adj. Sen. Com. Sad Harunantyo said Sunday that the incident occurred during a series of gunfights between security forces and GAM rebels on Saturday.
Fighting between Indonesian security forces and the GAM has been continuous in the oil- and gas-rich region for 25 years. More than 6,000 people have died in the last decade as a result of the conflict.
Accusing the Java-based administration of the Republic of Indonesia for betraying the nation of Aceh, the GAM is fighting for the establishment of an Islamic state in Aceh, stating that it plans to win independence by any means.
Aceh survived several bloody and devastating onslaughts by Dutch invaders during the colonial era. The territory briefly succumbed to Japanese invaders before joining the Indonesian Republic after its formation some 50 years ago.
Meetings between the Indonesian government and the GAM in Geneva last year resulted in a series of truces, but they failed to stop the violence. And last month, the government outlawed the GAM, and sent in 1,100 fresh troops to the province to hunt down the rebels.
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