Jayapura, Indonesia - After more than a month, police have finally managed to retake an isolated airstrip in the Memberamo Raya regency, Papua province, which was seized by some 150 armed people, allegedly led by an military deserter, in early May.
Three people were killed when an antiterror police unit stormed the Kapeso airstrip early Saturday, state news agency Antara reported Sunday.
Two members of the armed civilian group died in the conflict, Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. F.X. Bagus Ekodanto was quoted as saying.
"Besides that there was a civilian killed in the incident. He was a representative of the (Memberamo) regent, so the death toll was three people in total," he added.
Two other members of the armed group were injured in the raid, and four police officers also suffered serious wounds after coming under fire from bows and arrows, he added.
"We don't know the identities of the two victims *from the group*, but the important thing is that we reclaimed control of the airstrip after the group left Kapeso," Bagus said.
The raid was launched at around 1:30 a.m. Saturday after negotiations failed to end the occupation of the airstrip.
"The armed civilian group was successfully stricken back and left their two killed friends and two injured others in Kapeso, while four policemen from out side were hit by arrows," Bagus said.
Media reports earlier linked the armed group to the secessionist Free Papua Organization (OPM), which has waged a low intensity war of independence since it formed in the early 1960s.
However, Bagus said Saturday that among the leaders of the group that seized the airstrip was Decky Imbiri, who allegedly deserted the Indonesian Military (TNI).
"The group's leader is a suspected former TNI member, but we don't know yet which military force he came from.
"We are still checking data on the suspect," Bagus said at his office in the provincial capital of Jayapura.
He said Decky deserted the military by fleeing to the jungle.
"But we don't know where that happened or his rank as a TNI soldier."
Bagus said that during the raid the police arrested a woman and a 14-year-old boy, both members of the group.
The woman, Nela Manseren, and the boy are being questioned by police investigators in Bagusa, near Kapeso village.
The police also confiscated two home-made guns - a revolver and a Mosser - as well as dozens of arrows from the attackers, Bagus said.
The armed group used a church near the runway as its base-camp during the occupation.
Bagus said Decky co-led the armed group with Cosmos Makabori.
The Papua police chief said Nela told police investigators that Decky was a "military strategist".
Decky recruited at least 150 villagers, mostly youths, in Kapeso, providing them with military training before they seized the airstrip, according to Bagus.
"He reportedly has a spiritual expert who teaches new recruits with religious influence," he added.
Last week, Bagus said that a deadline for resolving the occupation peacefully past on Friday.
Dora Balubun, a priest at the Injili Christian Church (GKI) Synod in Tanah Papua, said last week that her church, which was involved in negotiations with the armed group, believed the attackers were part of a Papuan religious sect called Mandar Makeri.
The sect, according to Dora, believes the Messiah will arrive only after the people fight against the government.