Jayapura. The leader of a group claiming responsibility for a deadly attack on a police post in Papua’s Lanny Jaya district last week says his men engaged in a shootout with security forces on Monday.
“This morning, we had an exchange of fire with security forces,” Purom Wenda, the head of the Lanny Jaya branch of the Free Papua Organization (OPM), told reporters by phone on Monday.
Reports received in Jayapura said that a group of armed men attempted to enter Tiom, the Lanny Jaya district capital, but encountered resistance from a joint military and police force guarding the town. The exchange of fire only lasted a few minutes, the reports said, adding that the shootout began at around 8:45 a.m.
A civilian, identified as Ferdi Turuallo, 25, was killed in the shootout while walking to the market in Tiom.
Adj. Sr. Comr. I Gede Sumerta Jaya, a Papua Police spokesman, confirmed that the exchange of gunfire took place and that there was a civilian casualty.
“The victim’s body has been evacuated by helicopter from Tiom to Wamena,” he said, referring to the capital of neighboring Jayawijaya district.
“The perpetrators numbered about 100 people. They keep moving and they’re carrying around 20 stolen firearms.”
Sumerta added that the police were sending reinforcements to Lanny Jaya in the wake of the latest incident.
The group led by Purom has claimed responsibility for an attack on the Pirime police post in Lanny Jaya on Nov. 27 that left three officers dead.
The following day, a joint police and military team investigating the incident was caught up in a firefight with an armed group. No casualties were reported in that incident. In both cases, the unknown gunmen numbered around 50.
Police have not confirmed whether they were the same group.
Purom’s claim of responsibility for the Pirime attack is in contrast to a statement made by the widely recognized OPM commander in that part of Papua, Goliat Tabuni, who said that the separatist group had nothing to do with the incident.
In a statement to Tempo.co last Friday, Purom said: “OPM did the shootings. I led the shootings.”
“We’re the pure OPM. We’re not Goliat Tabuni, who sits idly. We will continue to move,” he added.
He also said there were thousands of OPM members in Lanny Jaya ready to launch more attacks.
Separately, police have arrested six people in connection with the Pirime attack.