The discoveries were made between Oct. 25 and Oct. 27 in the Kali Braza area of Dekai Subdistrict, Yahukimo District, according to an official Marine Corps statement received on Thursday.
Marine Corps spokesperson Col. Rana Karyana said the operation began after troops received intelligence regarding suspected weapons caches.
Acting on local tips, the troops from the Gobang IX unit of Marine Battalion 3 searched remote areas along Kali Braza and inspected locations suspected of serving as stopovers for the armed group, Karyana said.
At the first site, troops found a tent containing two air rifles, a bow and arrows, an ax, machetes, food supplies, and cooking equipment.
They documented the items to report to their commanders.
The search continued at an abandoned house near the first site, where the Marines discovered additional weapons and supplies.
The findings included several barrelless air rifles, spent 5.56 mm and 9 mm ammunition casings, a bracelet bearing the Morning Star symbol, a camera, a damaged cellphone, six arrows, and a wallet containing identification documents, Karyana said.
The troops also found ammunition casings bound with wire that investigators suspect had been modified for use with air rifles.
Karyana said the troops had seized and examined all recovered items to gather further information on the armed group's whereabouts.
He added that the Marine Corps remains committed to restricting the group's movements to help protect local communities in Papua.
Translator: Walda M, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Jayapura, Jubi – The Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI) in Jayawijaya Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province, has called for an independent investigation and a review of security operations following the shooting of three residents in neighbouring Nduga Regency.
The shooting, allegedly carried out by personnel from the Rajawali VI Task Force, Detachment 1, under the Habema Joint Operations Command, occurred in Yosoma-Nonggoloit Village, Kenyam District, on October 23, 2026. Two civilians were killed and another was injured.
“KNPI Jayawijaya urges the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and relevant authorities to immediately establish an independent investigative team to uncover the objective facts behind the Nduga incident transparently,” Jayawijaya KNPI Chair Hengki Hilapok told Jubi in a text message on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
Hilapok said shooting unarmed civilians constituted a serious human rights violation under the principles of international humanitarian law. He said those responsible must be identified and brought before an open court in accordance with Indonesian law.
“This is to ensure justice for the victims’ families and to comprehensively review the security approach in Papua,” he said.
Hilapok said the state must no longer hide behind justifications based on military operations or security concerns.
He argued that the security approach in Papua needed to be reviewed, particularly in conflict-prone areas such as Nduga Regency.
“Justice for the people of Nduga is non-negotiable and cannot be traded for narratives of development. The victims were civilians who were completely unarmed,” he said. (*)
Indonesia recorded a sharp increase in forest fire hotspots on Oct 28, with 118 high-confidence hotspots detected nationwide, up nearly 49.4% from 79 the previous day, according to the country’s Ministry of Forestry.
Satellite monitoring data from the ministry’s SiPongi system showed that South Papua accounted for 84 hotspots, or more than 70% of the national total, making it the worst-affected province.
East Kalimantan followed with 24 hotspots, South Sulawesi with five, Central Sulawesi with four and West Sulawesi with one.
The data was collected from NASA’s Terra/Aqua, SNPP and NOAA-20 satellites as of 9pm Western Indonesian Time on Wednesday (Oct 28).
Despite the nationwide increase, six priority provinces for forest and land fire prevention — Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan — recorded no high-confidence hotspots for the second consecutive day.
However, the ministry cautioned that an absence of satellite-detected hotspots did not necessarily mean fires had been fully extinguished.
It explained that hotspots represent temperature anomalies detected by satellites and should not be interpreted directly as the number of fires or the extent of land burned.
The ministry said particular attention was being directed towards South Papua, which remains under a forest and land fire emergency response status until Nov 28, 2026.
Meanwhile, firefighting operations are continuing in several provinces despite the absence of high-confidence hotspots in the latest satellite readings.
In Jambi, firefighters successfully extinguished a blaze in Simpang Terusan, Batang Hari, but operations were ongoing in Simpang Datuk, Tanjung Jabung Timur, and Desa Tanjung, Muaro Jambi, where fires on peatland had not been fully extinguished.
In South Sumatra, a fire in Timbangan, Ogan Ilir, was successfully put out, while teams continued tackling underground peat fires in Talang Rimba, Ogan Komering Ilir.
Although moderate to heavy rainfall was recorded in the area, further firefighting operations remained necessary.
In South Kalimantan, fires in Landasan Ulin Barat, Banjarbaru, had been brought under control, but thick smoke continued to be observed at several locations.
Firefighters also extinguished a blaze in Sambaliung, Berau Regency, East Kalimantan, while operations remained ongoing in parts of Central Sulawesi.
The Ministry of Forestry warned that peatland fires could continue burning beneath the surface even when satellite monitoring no longer detected hotspots.
Such fires require continuous ground inspections, water saturation, extinguishing of remaining embers and cooling operations to prevent reignition.
To support firefighting efforts, Indonesia has deployed 61 aircraft, comprising 24 aircraft for patrols and weather modification operations and 37 helicopters for aerial water bombing.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has instructed firefighting teams to maximise rainfall opportunities expected through early November to strengthen water saturation efforts in vulnerable areas.
Following that period, joint patrols will be intensified to prevent new fires, particularly in peatland regions.
The ministry said firefighting operations were being coordinated with the National Disaster Management Agency, military, police, meteorological authorities, local governments, businesses and volunteers.
