Nicholas F. Goselin, a pilot for Indonesian aviation company PT AMA, was shot dead Thursday shortly after he landed at the Ipdeheik airstrip in Balinggama village of the Yahukimo regency in the mountainous province of Papua Highlands.
The evacuation that involved 10 personnel from the Habema Operations Command was carried out after troops secured the remote airstrip in a rapid operation, said Brig. Gen. Riyanto, deputy commander of the operation.
The wreckage of the aircraft piloted by the American pilot after it was burned on July 2, 2026. Photo by Reuters
Rebels armed with guns and axes raised the Morning Star flag, a symbol of Papuan independence, as they claimed responsibility for the attack in a video distributed to the media by the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement.
A decades-old insurgency in impoverished Papua between Indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces has spiked in the past year, with dozens of rebels, security forces and civilians killed. The rebels have especially targeted foreign pilots.
