Indonesia
Archipelago
The attack was a message to the Indonesian and US governments for "failing" to address the root causes of the conflict in Papua between the Indonesian military and the West Papua National Liberation Army, says a separatist group spokesman.
An Indonesian Military (TNI) medic checks the blood pressure of a villager in Soanggama village, Hitadipa district, Intan Jaya regency, Central Papua, in this undated picture issued on Nov. 23. The soldiers are part of the Operation Command (Koops) Habema, a TNI task force to maintain security in Papua and quell the Free Papua Organization (OPM) rebels. (Courtesy of Koops Habema/-)
The Indonesian Military (TNI) has recovered the body of an American pilot who was shot dead by rebels in the restive eastern region of Papua, it said on Friday after a separatist group said the attack was a "message" to the US and Indonesian governments.A low-level battle for independence from Indonesia has long raged in the resource-rich western half of Papua, where attacks by independence fighters have grown deadlier and more frequent as they have procured better weaponry.
