West Papua separatists kill US pilot

Rebels raised the Morning Star flag, a symbol of independence, while announcing the attack. (Reuters: Oka Barta Daud. File photo) Rebels in Indonesia's restive easternmost region of Papua have shot dead an American pilot and set a civilian plane on fire. They say the aircraft was being used to carry troops, which the Indonesian military denies. A spokesperson for a local separatist group described the attack as a "message" to the US and Indonesian governments. Link copiedShareShare articleA Papua separatist group has claimed it shot dead an American pilot who allegedly transported Indonesian troops into the restive province. A spokesman for the West Papua Liberation Army, or TPNPB, said on Thursday that its fighters fatally shot Nicholas F Goselin and set fire to an aircraft operated by Indonesian airline PT AMA in Balinggama village. The plane was carrying one pilot and seven passengers, Indonesia's Directorate General of Civil Aviation said. After the pilot reported the aircraft had landed, communications with personnel at the airstrip were subsequently lost, the ministry said in a statement. There was no immediate comment from the US Embassy. Papua has been divided amid a decades-long conflict involving separatists. (ABC News: Jarrod Fankhauser) A decades-old insurgency in impoverished Papua between Indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces has spiked in the past year, with dozens of rebels, security forces and civilians killed. The rebels have especially targeted foreign pilots. The Indonesian military denied the plane was used to carry troops. Those on board were seven Indigenous Papuan civilians, including three women. An evacuation team attempted to reach the site on Thursday but turned back because of poor weather, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Wirya Artadiguna said. Authorities plan to try again on Friday, he said. Papua police said they were still working to verify the condition of the pilot and the seven passengers. Spokesperson Yusuf Sutejo said their efforts were complicated by the terrain. There is no road access and it can only be reached by air. Rebel spokesman Sebby Sambom said the aircraft violated their ban on civilian flights in areas the separatist group considers its operational zones. He alleged civilian aircraft had been used to transport Indonesian military personnel and logistics into Papua's remote interior. He said the American pilot was killed because the aircraft continued operating despite the group's warning. The claims could not be independently verified. Papua New Guinea has raised concerns over its border with Indonesia, calling for the establishment of a new 10km "buffer zone" between the two countries. Mr Sambom called on Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to open international negotiations aimed at resolving the decades-long conflict in Papua, which separatists say has resulted in civilian deaths and mass displacement. The attack was a message to the Indonesian and US government for "failing to address the root causes of the conflict in Papua between the Indonesian military and the West Papua National Liberation Army," he said in a statement. He also urged the United Nations to facilitate talks involving the Indonesian government, the TPNPB and Papuan representatives, and warned the group would target other civilian aircraft it believed were assisting military operations in the region. Rebels carried guns and axes and raised the Morning Star flag, a symbol of independence, while announcing the attack, according to a video sent by TPNPB. In February 2023, Egianus Kogoya, a regional commander in the Free Papua Movement, abducted Philip Mark Mehrtens, a pilot from Christchurch, New Zealand, who was working for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air. Mr Mehrtens was freed in September 2024. In August 2024, TPNPB gunmen stormed a helicopter and killed its New Zealand pilot, Glen Malcolm Conning, who worked for Indonesian aviation company PT Intan Angkasa Air Service. Mr Conning was shot shortly after landing in a remote village in the Mimika district carrying several Indigenous Papuans who were freed. Papua, a former Dutch colony, was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969, under a United Nations-sponsored ballot that was widely seen as a sham, triggering the protracted conflict. Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)See more ABC coverage in your search results Top StoriesFor decades Australian house prices have grown. This is what a fall could meanTopic:Property Prices

West Papua separatists kill US pilot

Key takeaways

Also covered by

West Papua separatists kill US pilot

Key takeaways

Also covered by

More in international