Hunt for kidnapped NZ pilot leaves one dead in Papua
An Indonesian soldier has been killed in an attack by rebels while searching for a New Zealand pilot who was kidnapped in the Papua region. Rebels claimed that nine soldiers were killed, while the Associated Press cited military sources saying the death toll at six.
The troops were searching for Phillip Mehrtens, who was taken hostage in February, and were attacked while near a separatist stronghold in the mountainous Nduga district.
The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) claimed responsibility for the attack and called for the UN and New Zealand government to intervene to halt military operations.
Mehrtens was captured by heavily armed men after landing his single-engine plane in Nduga. The TPNPB has said that it will release him if Papua is granted independence. Papua, which is divided into two provinces, has long been the focus of separatist demands.
West Papua declared independence in 1961, but Indonesia took over two years later and was formally given control in a UN-supervised vote in 1969, which is considered illegitimate. Since 2018, there have been increasing attacks by separatist fighters in the region.
