NAN
A Soldier guarding an Airport in Indonesia’s Papua Province was killed on Monday when rebels fired shots at a plane carrying officials and a shipment of food, the Military said.
The plane landed safely at Mapenduma airport in Nduga district and no one on board was hurt, said local military spokesman Muhammad Aidi.
The aircraft was carrying Nduga district chief and two other top local officials, he said.
The attackers retreated to the jungle after soldiers returned fire, the spokesman said.
Security forces have intensified anti-insurgency operations since rebels killed 19 construction workers and one soldier in Nduga in early December.
Papua, a mainly Melanesian region rich in resources, has been the scene of a low-level separatist insurgency for decades.
READ ALSO: UN urges Latin American leaders to support Venezuelans
