Papua separatist rebels on Thursday claimed to have shot dead an American pilot and set a civilian aircraft on fire after it landed in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region, alleging it was transporting Indonesian military personnel into a conflict zone. The attack was “a message” to the US and Indonesian governments, a spokesperson for the armed separatist group said.Indonesian authorities confirmed the aircraft was found burnt but said they could not immediately verify the rebels’ claims or confirm the pilot’s death, according to Reuters.The incident took place in Yahukimo regency in Highland Papua, where a decades-long low-level separatist insurgency has intensified in recent years amid increasingly frequent and deadlier attacks by armed rebels.Sebby Sambom, spokesperson for the armed separatist group West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), said its fighters killed American pilot Nicholas F. Gosselin after his aircraft landed in the Balinggama district.According to AP, he said the aircraft had been “frequently dropping Indonesian military personnel and violating the TPNPB’s ultimatum.”Sambom said the aircraft was targeted because it had allegedly violated a TPNPB ban on civilian flights into areas controlled by the group. He also claimed the pilot was killed because the aircraft continued operating despite repeated warnings. Those claims could not be independently verified.Sambom described the attack as a “message” to both 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.”He further warned that rebels would continue targeting aircraft if Indonesia allowed civilian flights into what the group considers rebel-controlled “red zones” of Papua.Reuters reported that a video released by the separatist group showed armed rebels carrying guns and axes while raising the ‘Morning Star’ flag, a symbol of Papuan independence, as they announced the attack.Indonesia’s joint police-military task force confirmed that an aircraft carrying one American pilot and seven Papuan passengers had been found burnt at a local airport in Yahukimo.However, Yusuf Sutejo, spokesperson for the joint security operation, said authorities could not immediately confirm whether the aircraft had been attacked by separatists or whether the pilot had been killed.Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry, on Thursday said the aircraft had flown from Wamena to Yahukimo carrying one pilot and seven passengers before communication was lost shortly after landing. The plane belonged to PT AMA, an airline that transports food, fuel and mail to remote villages across Papua.Neither PT AMA nor the US Embassy in Jakarta immediately responded to requests for comment, according to Reuters.The latest incident comes more than a year after Papuan rebels abducted New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens after his aircraft landed in the remote Nduga region. He was released in 2024 following months in captivity.Sambom also called on Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to begin international negotiations on the Papua conflict and urged the United Nations to facilitate talks involving Jakarta, the TPNPB and Papuan representatives, while reiterating the group’s warning that aircraft it believes support military operations could remain targets.
