Indonesian troops have killed 12 separatist guerrillas in Aceh province in a single day, the military said Thursday, while a soldier was later killed in a separate clash.
Provincial military spokesman Asep Sapari said they were shot on Wednesday in clashes in the districts of Aceh Besar, Pidie and Bireuen. Two firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were seized.
Sapari said five rebels were killed in a clash at Kuta Cot Glee in Aceh Besar, four in two separate clashes in Pidie district and three in Bireuen. Three of the four deaths in Pidie were reported on Wednesday.
Another military officer, Colonel Fransen Siahaan, said separately a soldier was shot dead by rebels early Thursday in Panton village in North Aceh. The officer was speaking at a ceremony before the soldier's body was flown back to his home town in Central Java.
Violence continues in the resource-rich province on Sumatra island despite the lifting of martial law on May 19 and the imposition of a state of civil emergency.
The military claims about 5,000 rebels have been killed, captured or have surrendered during a year-long operation to crush the Free Aceh Movement, which has been fighting for independence since 1976.
Rights activists say some of those killed or captured have been civilians.
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