American pilot “killed” and plane burned in Papua; The rebels describe the attack as a “message” to America and Indonesia

Papua separatist rebels announced Thursday that they shot dead an American pilot and set fire to a civilian plane after it landed in Indonesia’s far eastern Papua region, claiming it was transporting Indonesian military personnel to a conflict zone.

A spokesman for the armed separatist group said the attack was a “message” to the US and Indonesian governments.Indonesian authorities confirmed that the plane was found burned, but said they could not immediately verify the rebels’ claims or confirm the pilot’s death, according to Reuters.The incident occurred in the Yahukimo district of Highland Papua, where a decades-old low-level separatist insurgency has intensified in recent years amid frequent and more deadly attacks by armed insurgents.Sibi Sambom, spokesman for the armed separatist group West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), said his fighters killed American pilot Nicholas F. Joslin after his plane landed in the Palingama area.According to the Associated Press, he said the plane was “repeatedly shooting down Indonesian military personnel and violating the ultimatum issued by the TPNPB.”Sambom said the plane was targeted because it violated the TPNPB’s ban on civilian flights to areas controlled by the group.

He also claimed that the pilot was killed because the plane continued to operate despite repeated warnings. These allegations could not be independently verified.Sambom described the attack as a “message” to the Indonesian and US governments “for their failure to address the root causes of the conflict in Papua between the Indonesian military and the West Papua National Liberation Army.”He also warned that the rebels would continue to target aircraft if Indonesia allowed civilian flights into what the group considers rebel-controlled “red zones” in Papua.Reuters reported that a video clip published by the separatist group showed armed rebels carrying rifles and axes while raising the “Morning Star” flag, the symbol of Papuan independence, while announcing the attack.An Indonesian joint police-military task force confirmed that a plane carrying an American pilot and seven Papuan passengers was found burned out at a local airport in Yahukimo.However, Yusuf Sotejo, spokesman for the joint security operation, said authorities could not immediately confirm whether the plane had been attacked by separatists or whether the pilot had been killed.The Indonesian Ministry of Transport said on Thursday that the plane took off from Wamena to Yahukimo with a pilot and seven passengers on board before communication was lost shortly after landing. The plane was owned by PT AMA, an airline that transports food, fuel and mail to remote villages across Papua.Neither PT AMA nor the US Embassy in Jakarta immediately responded to requests for comment, according to Reuters.The latest incident comes more than a year after Papuan rebels kidnapped New Zealand pilot Philip Mertens after his plane landed in the remote Nduga region. He was released in 2024 after months of captivity.Sambom also called on Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to start international negotiations on the conflict in Papua and urged the United Nations to facilitate talks that include Jakarta, representatives of the TPNPB and Papua, while repeating the group’s warning that aircraft it believes are supporting military operations could remain targets.