West Papuan militants have claimed responsibility for the deaths of three indigenous Papuans, who they claim were supplying intelligence to Indonesia.
In a statement, the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) said the three were executed in Yahukimo as traitors to Papua’s independence movement.
It claims to have evidence that the three Papuans had caused the deaths of several TPNPB troops.
Along with the three Papuans, the TPNPB also killed an Indonesian Brimob police officer.
The TPNPB said the executions were a warning to all Papuans not to engage with the Indonesian military, and that they will execute anybody that does.
The TPNPB executed an American pilot, Nicholas Gosselin, after he flew a small aircraft into Yahukimo earlier this month.
A spokesperson for the TPNPB said foreigners had been warned not to fly into the area, which the Army considers an active war zone.
Allegations by the TPNPB that the company Gosselin flew for PT AMA had been helping transport Indonesian military, has been rejected by the company and the government.
Indonesian’s security forces have been a in a long-running violent conflict with the TPNPB which has escalated in highlands regencies in recent years.
