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1) Indonesian military says security stable in Papua Highlands
July 24, 2026 19:10 GMT+700
Papua Regional Military Command XVII/Cenderawasih Commander Major General Febriel Buyung Sikumbang said security conditions across Papua Highlands were generally under control, with only limited disturbances reported in Yahukimo.
"Overall, we can confirm that the security situation in Papua Highlands is quite good, with only minor developments occurring in Yahukimo District," Sikumbang said in a written statement on Friday.
He said the TNI Habema Operational Command had taken measures to maintain security in Yahukimo, where conditions had deteriorated following the recent violence.
"Our personnel from the TNI Habema Operational Command have taken steps to ensure that the security situation in Yahukimo becomes more stable," Sikumbang said.
Habema Operational Command Commander Major General Yudha Airlangga said troops would continue security operations in Yahukimo to ensure residents could carry out their daily activities safely.
"We are continuing security operations and strengthening engagement with communities in Yahukimo so residents can work together with us to maintain security and public order," Airlangga said.
He said the military was also intensifying outreach efforts with local communities as part of broader measures to maintain stability and prevent further violence in the district.
Airlangga said authorities were continuing efforts to evacuate the victims of a shooting that allegedly killed three Indigenous Papuan civilians in Yahukimo.
The military attributed the attack to an armed criminal group, locally known as KKB, operating in Papua.
"Security personnel are continuing the evacuation process. We hope the victims' bodies can be located soon and moved to a safer place," Airlangga said.
According to Yahukimo Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Zet Saalino, two of the three civilians killed in the shooting on Monday (July 20) had been evacuated by a joint Indonesian military and police team.
"The bodies of the married couple were taken to Dekai Regional Hospital and will be handed over to their families for burial," Saalino said on Thursday.
The team, he said, would resume its search on Friday (July 24) to evacuate the third victim, a woman. The victims were local residents who had been panning for gold near Seradala.
An armed criminal group led by Kopitua Heluka claimed responsibility for Monday's shooting of three civilians near the Trans-Papua Highway in Seradala Subdistrict.
Related news: Papua Highlands plants 3,000 trees to mark National Education Day
Related news: Indonesian troops expand lifesaving medical outreach in Papua Highland
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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2) West Papua rebels kill three indigenous Papuans
Friday, 24 Jul 2026 | 11:41 AM MYT
JAKARTA: Rebels seeking independence for western Papua have killed three indigenous Papuans in execution styles in Yahukimo regency, Papua Highlands province, earlier this week, as depicted in video clips going viral in social media in the past few days.
The West Papua National Liberation Army-Papua Freedom Organization (TPNPB-OPM) has claimed responsibility for the shootings around Trans Papua Highway in Seradala District, Yahukimo regency.
Spokesman for the TPNPB-OPM, Sebby Sambom, said the executions were carried out by a group led by Kopitua Heluka, claimed to be operations commander of Yahukimo Area Defense Command (Kodap).
“Major Kopitua Heluka said that three intelligence agents of the Indonesian military [TNI] had been executed by Kodap XVI Yahukimo and Kodap III Ndugama Darakma on July 20 and 21,” he told Kompas.com on Wednesday (July 22).
“We are fully responsible for the actions.”
He added that the TPNPB-OPM has evidence showing the three victims were involved in assisting security authorities in operations against the rebels.
Sebby also relayed a threat attributed to Kopitua Heluka against Papuans who are considered to act as informants or intelligence agents for the security apparatus in Yahukimo region.
Meanwhile, the TNI’s Habema Operations Command (Koops) said the three victims were civilians, consisting of husband Kumis Kogoya and wife Seli Wenda, and an unidentified woman from the Unaukam tribe.
Koops Habema chief spokesman Lt. Col. M. Wirya Arthadiguna said the loss of civilians’ lives were not justifiable in any case.
“Every Papua resident has the right to live safely, work, raise their families and build their future without fear,” he said in a written statement.
“The security apparatus will continue to coordinate to investigate the incident and chase the perpetrators and enforce the law.”
He said the steps were taken to provide protection for the people and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
One video clip shows a couple sitting roadside in front a row of Papuan rebels holding firearms, machetes, bows and arrows and the Morning Star flag.
One of the rebels delivered a statement accusing the couple of being intelligence agents for the Indonesian government before signalling one of the rebels holding a rifle to shoot them. A similar setting also happened to the unidentified woman.
The TPNPB-OPM has started to target indigenous Papuans who are believed to be government agents or assisting the government or the military and police. Previously, the rebels only targeted newcomers from outside the Papua region.
The rebels have also declared certain regions war zones and prohibited any military or police movement into those regions.
They also banned civilian pioneer flights from entering the region, accusing such flights as being used to move security apparatus.
The Papua region is mountainous, and many places can only be reached by small airplanes, making such flights the bloodlines of the hinterland communities.
More recently, rebels killed an American pilot, identified as Nicholas F. Gosselin, who was flying for PT AMA, or Associated Mission Aviation.
While the airline said it transports food, fuel and mail to remote communities across Papua, the rebels accused the carrier of “frequently dropping Indonesian security personnel”, in violation of its mission goal. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
Yahukimo, Papua. Indonesian troops have recovered the bodies of two civilians allegedly killed by separatist fighters in the eastern Papua Highlands province after an evacuation operation that briefly erupted into a firefight, the military said on Friday.
The military's Habema Joint Regional Defense Command said the victims were found near the Trans Papua Highway in Seradala district, Yahukimo regency, following an attack that authorities blamed on the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Movement (TPNPB-OPM), specifically the Yahukimo regional command allegedly led by Kopitua Heluka.
The evacuation mission took place on Thursday under difficult conditions, with troops navigating mountainous terrain, adverse weather, high river levels, and ongoing security risks.
After securing the area, soldiers recovered the two bodies from beneath the Ahom River bridge, near the section of the Trans Papua Highway where the attack occurred.
The remains were transported to Dekai Regional Hospital for identification before being handed over to the victims' families. A joint search team is continuing efforts to locate a woman from the Unaukam Indigenous community who remains missing, the military said.
Maj. Gen. Yudha Airlangga, commander of TNI Habema, offered his condolences to the victims' families, saying that losing loved ones to violence was "a deep wound not only for the victims' families, but also for the people of Papua who aspire to live in peace and safety."
The recovery operation followed an attack on Monday in Yahukimo in which Indonesian authorities said three civilians were killed by armed separatists.
The TPNPB-OPM has claimed responsibility for the shootings. In a statement issued on July 21, the group's central command said fighters from its Yahukimo regional command, together with personnel from its Ndugama Derakma unit, carried out the attack. The group alleged the three civilians were Indonesian intelligence operatives and also claimed responsibility for shooting a police officer.
Indonesian authorities have not publicly confirmed the TPNPB-OPM's assertion that the civilians were intelligence personnel.
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